


And Maybe A Little Bit Wiser

by Goddess47



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Stargate, Drama & Romance, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-10-23 14:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17685122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goddess47/pseuds/Goddess47
Summary: Rodney and John meet one Thanksgiving Weekend at a Wounded Warrior feast hosted by a VFW Post while Norah is working on a community service project for school credit.Two lonely men meet. One has a dream life with a good job and family. One is nearly homeless and doesn't want to admit how much the war has affected his life.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic originally written in 2013 (!) as part of a Naked NaNo project on Keira Marcos' site. The original challenge was an 'original story' -- so the names were changed to protect the author who really still wanted to write SGA fic. But it's sat since then. Most folk won't even recognize it, but wanted to let you know that this is the edited version of that same story.
> 
> This started as a Hewligan -- David Hewlett's role as Frank in the movie "Helen" and Joe Flanagan as Scott in "Murphy Brown." What would happen if these two were to meet years after Scott went off to war? 
> 
> Some of that backstory has been kept, but I've cheerfully changed that back to John and Rodney because, well, I could, Sorry, not sorry!
> 
> The story is complete, I'm posting early for Romancing McShep because I'll be on vacation during the middle of posting... so you'll get chapters every other day-ish through the end of February... I'm a generous person that way!

His life was a horrid cliché.

"I'm pregnant," Helen hissed at him as she stood in the door of his office. "And it has to be yours!"

"Wait! What?" Rodney was confused. "We -- wait, I -- used a condom. Every time."

"Well, something didn't work," she snapped. She awkwardly dropped down in the rickety guest chair in his office. It was his office hours, which was how she know how to find him, and he was eternally grateful that none of his students had shown up today.

"You're sure?" he demanded. 

"You're the only one I've slept with in the past three months," she sighed, anger momentarily dissipated. "And I'm about six weeks along."

"Fuck." Rodney didn't look at her. This wasn't anything he had planned on.

In reality, Helen was only a convenient girlfriend and nothing more. She was reasonably intelligent, good looking and -- most important -- willing to put up with his work schedule. This was his first tenure-track job and he was working under the "publish or perish" cloud of doom. 

Helen also wasn't the most reliable person. They had met at a department get together where she was the date of one of the grad students who had promptly dumped Helen to go home with someone else. Rodney had been drafted to drive her home that night, and they had been getting together on an irregular basis. She would occasionally stand him up or forget he was coming over. Helen also liked to party and routinely out-drank Rodney.

He was somewhat afraid to ask how her classes were going; she was taking classes toward a Master's degree in Art History while being a TA in the Art department. She had talked a couple of times about a concentration in Early American art but Rodney wasn't quite sure what she planned to do once she graduated. 

He sat back in his chair and looked at a calendar. Seven and a half months from now was May.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, finally looked at her.

She put a hand on her stomach. "I... I'm not sure," she said. "But, yes, I'm going to keep it."

"Then we'll get married," Rodney heard the words come out of his mouth.

"You don't have to..." she started.

"Yes, I do," he said firmly. Once the words had been said, it was something he knew he was going to do.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Of course, it wasn't that simple.

Rodney insisted on telling Helen's parents as soon as possible, over her vehement objections. It took him several weeks to cajole her into a day trip to visit them.

The day started out well. Helen's parents – _"Call us Emily and Walter"_ \-- were friendly and looked pleased at the thought of being grandparents.

"Of course, we'll have the wedding here," Emily declared. "I know Bishop McHugh would love to perform the ceremony..."

"Umm... I'm not Catholic," Rodney admitted. "And I can't afford..."

"That won't be a problem," Walter said firmly. 

Emily went on about wedding plans and who they would invite and baby showers and... Rodney thought she did ask about his family at one point but it got lost in picking colors for bridesmaids dresses.

Helen dragged him out of there as soon as she could, using the extended drive back as an excuse.

"Now you see?" she said tiredly.

"They mean well," Rodney replied warily. "I think."

"Let's just go to Vegas," Helen begged. "Just you and me." She looked at her baby bump. "And the kid."

Rodney considered the suggestion. "Maybe," he equivocated. "Let's get through the end of the semester and make a decision then."

It wasn't long before Rodney was more than willing to take Helen up on the idea of eloping. Evidently Helen wouldn't take phone calls from her parents so they went for the next option, him. He started ducking their phone calls, also.

Vegas was fun. They found a casino junket, so the cost of the trip was reasonable. It was just after New Year's, so the worst of the holiday crowds had already left the city. They debated amicably about whether they wanted the Star Trek wedding or the Elvis wedding but Star Trek won out in the end. Captain Picard performed the ceremony for them while Spock was one of the witnesses. They bought the photo package, and Rodney sent pictures to Emily and Walter with a gentle _Thank you for thinking of us_ note.

At least the phone calls stopped.

Since Rodney had the full time job and Helen was technically a grad student, he moved her into his apartment. He found out it was true that you really didn't know anyone until you lived with them.

"Helen!" Rodney called from the door way. "Come and help me?"

Silence.

"Fuck," he swore. He had his arms full of groceries and there was another bag still in the car. Rodney had turned into the cook, Helen could barely boil water. They also couldn't afford to eat out as much as Helen seemed to think was necessary.

Rodney left the bags inside the door and dashed back to get the last bag of food and move the car from the entry way to their parking space. Helen's car was there, he wondered where she was.

Putting the groceries away, Rodney started dinner at the same time. He had papers to grade, and classes to prepare. 

He finally had some good news from the department. He had finally gotten the tenure committee to approve that 'practical work' could be submitted in lieu of publishing an academic paper. He knew his strength was in building actual buildings, not just in writing about it. He had worked out a deal with a small architecture firm who would steer work his way in return for some consulting on projects they had. The beauty was that he would be able to develop his own portfolio while earning some extra income.

It would also give him more flexibility with his time after the baby was born. He had figured by now that he would need it. Sadly, he had learned that couldn't count on Helen stepping up for anything, and a baby wouldn't make that any better.

A simple dinner was ready, and there was no sign of Helen. He ate, made a plate for Helen, and put the rest away for his lunch tomorrow. He went into the second bedroom they had turned into a study and started grading the stack of papers that needed grading. The only good news with most of the architecture courses was the small class size. Having only twelve to eighteen students in a section was a godsend.

He heard the door to the apartment open. Helen dropped her keys into the bowl near the door with a small _clang_. He went out to greet her.

"Where have you been?" Rodney tried to be casual but, from the frown on Helen's face, suspected he hadn't succeeded. "I could have held dinner for you."

"Sorry," she said -- but it was more automatic than true. "Met up with Jenny from the Colonial Art study group to work on our presentation and we lost track of time. We grabbed something to eat while we were at it."

Helen was about six months pregnant at this point, and they spent less and less time together. Rodney had classes to teach and new preps for classes he was teaching for the first time. After one extended fight about money, sex, and life in general, they had settled into a strategy of avoidance. 

"There was a message about a doctor's appointment tomorrow on the machine," Rodney reported. "I can come with you, if you want."

She looked startled for a moment but shrugged. "Sure, if you want," she allowed.

"I'd like to," Rodney said gently. "Glad to do that."

"Okay," she said. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

"Would you like tea in the morning?" he asked, knowing he'd be up before she would.

"Yeah," Helen agreed absently. "Toast, maybe."

"That's easy," Rodney said.

She went to bed without saying anything else. She was asleep -- or at least pretended to be asleep -- by the time Rodney came to bed.

Helen played the part of the loving wife at the doctor's office. Helen was all "Honey" this and "Sweetie" that in front of the nurse and the doctor.

The best news was that the pregnancy was going well. Rodney was glad that Helen had cut out the partying and the drinking, following the doctor's guidelines for eating, at least, although her only real 'exercise' was walking from the car to classes.

The doctor had been reasonably perceptive to much of what they didn't say, and had recommended a C-section for the birth. Helen had looked relieved at the option. 

Rodney scrambled to finish up his classes a week early, so that everything would be done before the baby would be born. They knew it was a girl, they had found that from one of the early sonograms, but hadn't settled on a name.

The C-section was scheduled for a civilized 1 pm on a Thursday. They arrived at the hospital early and checked in. 

The delivery was anti-climatic. Everything went as planned and by 1:30 pm, Rodney was the proud father of an eight pound, 3 ounce baby girl who had ten precious fingers and ten perfect toes.

Rodney waited until Helen came home from the hospital to call her parents. They swooped down, trying their best to take over. Fortunately, the lack of space in their apartment discouraged any lengthy stays. 

Almost as soon as Helen recovered from the C-section, Rodney was essentially a single father. Fortunately, it was the summer and he had no classes to teach and -- being realistic -- he had set aside money to get through the summer. He knew Helen's parents would help, but that would come with a price he wasn't sure he wanted to – or could -- pay.

By early August, Helen was home less and less. When Rodney tried to ask where she was going, she refused to answer and then Norah cried and by the time he settled her down, Helen had left.

"Aren't you the pretty baby?" Rodney cooed to Norah, getting her dressed in the morning.

"Now, what will you wear? It's important to make good impressions, you know," he said to Norah who burbled happily at him.

"The pink it is," he said. Well, most of what Norah had was pink, thanks to Emily and Walter. Deliveries kept coming and because Rodney hadn't been able to work as much this summer as he had hoped, in the end he had to accept 'gifts for Norah' or seem totally ungrateful. Anything that was valuable got returned, anything that was bankable went into Norah's already healthy college savings account. 

"You need to learn to play well with the other kids," Rodney went on, taking Norah with him to the kitchen. His morning coffee was already waiting; he had invested in a system that would have coffee ready rather than having to juggle Norah and making coffee at the same time.

It was the first day of the Fall semester. Rodney's department chair had agreed to tinker with his teaching schedule this semester so that his schedule worked within the campus day care hours. That let Rodney take Norah with him, and she'd be nearby.

Inside the door to the daycare, Rodney met Katie, who was the lead in the infant room and who had given them a tour the previous week. Katie was cheerful in a way only people who worked with small children that weren't their own seem to be. 

"Norah!" she greeted them. "Welcome!"

Rodney dropped off the bag with diapers, changes of clothes and a couple of small toys to stay there. It was supposed to help Norah adjust to the new place.

"Come on, dad, we'll be fine!" Katie soothed. "Go to your classes."

"But..." Rodney didn't want to leave. This would be the longest he had been away from Norah since she was born.

"I have your office phone, your cell phone, your schedule, the department secretary and the security department phone on your list," Katie said sternly but with a twinkle in her eye. "We will be fine. You can come at lunchtime to check on her."

Rodney leaned in and placed a kiss on Norah's forehead. "You be good," he said softly.

Norah, of course, took to the daycare faster than Rodney. She was an easy going baby and popular with the women who worked there. After a couple of weeks, Rodney relaxed enough to not stop in during every free moment he had.

By Halloween, Helen was moving out completely. He knew she had dropped out of school, but he knew nothing about what else she was doing.

"Where will you go?" Rodney asked, holding a sleeping Norah against his shoulder.

She shrugged. "I have some friends who will let me stay there for a while," she said evasively.

"You're welcome to keep in touch," he offered. "Or, I know it isn't the best, use your parents as a residence."

She gave a small laugh. "I've been trying to get out of there for years," she said sadly.

"Good luck and take care of yourself," was all Rodney had to offer.

By Christmas time, Emily and Walter had made an effort to take Norah away from him but he knew that was half-hearted. He was employed, taking good care of Norah and, most importantly, he was the father. He didn't -- quite -- begrudge them the effort to do what they thought best for their granddaughter.

When Norah was one, he went to their home for a birthday party. It was over done -- at what point does a one-year-old really need a pony ride -- but they were glad to see both him and Norah.

One spring day, Rodney realized he hadn't heard from Helen in over a year. Norah had just turned four and he decided maybe he should talk to a lawyer.

"I'm filing for divorce," he told Emily and Walter. He thought it would be kinder if he told them in person.

"Rodney, I'm honestly surprised you haven't done that before now," Walter said. "We love our daughter, but, well… you have to do what's best for you."

Emily looked at him closely and asked, somewhat delicately, "I'm also not surprised. Is there... someone else in your life?"

Rodney puzzled over that for a moment, then realized what she was asking. "No, no one else," he said, blushing slightly. "Between work and Norah, I'm plenty busy," he said. "Outside of work things, this is the only social visiting we seem to do."

"We'd be glad to take Norah, if you need help," Emily put in.

"Thanks, I'm managing," he replied.

It was after Norah had turned eight that Rodney received a visit by two policemen in foul weather gear. There had been a wet, cold rain for a couple of days that had turned to sleet in the afternoon.

"Rodney McKay?" the officer asked politely, showing his badge. "May we come in?"

"Yes?" he replied, cautiously. They stood in the living room.

"Is Helen McKay your wife?" the officer asked.

"We're divorced," Rodney answered warily. "I didn't even know she was still using the name."

"Her driver's license lists this address," the officer said.

"Is she all right?" Rodney had to ask.

"I'm sorry, sir, to have to inform you that Helen McKay died in an automobile accident earlier this evening," the officer said gently.

It had been a single car accident, Helen was alone in the vehicle. There may or may not have been alcohol involved, that was open to further investigation. The car had skidded out of control, at the very least going too fast for the weather, and had crashed into a tree. Helen had died instantly.

"I'll call her parents," Rodney said.

He let Emily and Walter take care of the funeral. In the end, Helen was their daughter and they were devastated. Sadly, Norah was more upset for her grandparents, rather than for the mother she never knew.

After the funeral, Norah came and sat in Rodney's lap.

"I think I'd like to stay with Nona and Papa for a few days," she said. "I think they need me."

"You're probably right," he replied. 

Norah had never stayed with Emily and Walter. Rodney knew that once it started, it would never end but, by eight, Norah was sensible enough to understand some of what her grandparents were offering. She was human enough to want some of the advantages but, even very young, understood what some of that really cost.

"I'll always come home to you," she promised with a hug.

Norah spent more time at her grandparents from then on. Sometimes just to hang out, more often there was a vacation involved. It was also helpful so that Rodney could take on some summer work that he had refused before, traveling to job sites to oversee work being done on projects he had designed.

Rodney and Norah had good lives, friends, and challenging work. It wasn't until much later that they found they might be a tad lonely.


	2. A Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rodney had been through the 'dealing with returning vets' training on campus and figured that John was probably more of a guest than a volunteer, so he took his lead from the white knuckles John was gripping his tray with.

"Da-a-a-a-a-d-d-d-d-d!" Fifteen year old Norah called up from the bottom of the stairs. "We're going to be late!"

Rodney McKay sighed and saved the drawing he had been working on. He had some ideas for a building commission that needed to be completed by the end of the year, and wanted to make some notes before he forgot them. He also needed to get some of the work done this weekend so he could go back to teaching his architecture classes on Monday. He planned to have the longer Thanksgiving weekend, next weekend, to grade papers and prep for finals week. 

"Coming! Coming!" he called back as he left his home office. "Quick pit stop!"

Rodney dashed across the hall to his bedroom, and into the attached bathroom, taking a quick piss and washing his hands. He looked at himself in the mirror. At forty-two, Rodney had accepted that his sandy hair had started to darken and thin on the front, but was glad his blue eyes still didn't need glasses. He looked down at his stomach and knew he could stand to loose about thirty pounds, but that wasn't going to happen just this moment. He made sure there weren't any stains on his shirt and that his hair was mostly in place.

He went down the stairs, faced his daughter, and tried to look stern. "You sure we have to do this?"

She rolled her eyes and giggled. "Yes, we do," she said firmly. "It's part of the community service I have to do for school. And, besides, you promised to drive."

"All right, all right," he pretended to give in. "It could be worse, I guess."

"Hey! There's food involved!" Norah pointed out.

"The only thing that's keeping me going, you know," he teased. He reached out and drew her in for a quick hug. 

She handed him a jacket, and grabbed a basket of clothing. "It's your good deed for the day," she said. "Take the other basket."

Rodney put the jacket on. It was relatively warm for Buffalo in November, but it still was only 55 degrees and cloudy, so the jacket was definitely needed. He put on a Buffalo Bisons baseball cap and followed Norah out the door.

The baskets were crammed into the trunk of the car and they went off to pick up Norah's best friend Donna, who was also planning to earn some community service hours today.

Donna had a small garbage bag of clothing donations, which they crammed on top of the baskets. The two girls clambered into the back seat of the gray Altima and started to chat away.

Rodney turned the radio to WNED, the local classical music station. Being a public radio station, it lived and died on donations but he was glad there wasn't a pledge drive going on. He had already made his reasonably decent donation to the station and he hated to get suckered into making another. The announcers on the station were good at making you feel somewhat guilty about not donating right-that-minute, even if you had already donated.

He kept the music loud enough to be able to not-obviously hear the girls talking in the back seat over the music. While he trusted Norah to keep him informed about her life, he was pragmatic enough to know Norah was a typical fifteen year old girl. He knew Norah knew he listened, but it was always interesting to hear the two talk together. The almost-adult he lived with at home became a giggling teenager with her friend.

Today's talk was speculating on which boys might be there today. Donna had a crush on one of the lacrosse players and Norah was being the supportive friend, hoping he'd be there also. Norah didn't really have a boyfriend -- for which Rodney was entirely thankful -- but was cheerful in her efforts to help Donna.

It took about twenty minutes to get to the VFW post where they were volunteering to help with a Thanksgiving Dinner for veterans, their families, and anyone else who would show up. The post was technically in the city of Buffalo, but was close to the Cheektowaga suburb where they lived, as well as on a bus line. There had been plenty of PR about the event and Rodney suspected there would be a sizeable turn out. 

They had not been to this particular event before but Rodney remembered last year's news stories about the size of the event, and the good feelings it gave to the local community. The honor society the girls were part of required forty hours of community service during the school year and the two had decided to start here. 

Volunteers had to arrive well before the dining room would be open. There was food to prepare, tables to arrange and clothing to sort. Rodney and Norah had cleared out a variety of coats from their closets as well as from the storage area in the basement to bring along. 

From the muffled squeals in the back seat, the young man directing them to a parking space was the lacrosse player. The girls waved with studied casualness as he directed Rodney to the parking lot for the vacant store across the street. 

"Park along the side there," he pointed. "Do you have any donations that you need help with?"

"I think we can manage," Rodney replied with a nod. "Thanks!"

Rodney parked the car and popped the trunk. Donna grabbed her bag, while Rodney and Norah took their baskets. The girls gave a cheerful, "Hey, Derek!" to the young man who blushed slightly and said, "Hey" back at them.

He looked at Rodney, "Clothing donations go in the front door. Someone there will direct you."

"Thank you," Rodney replied. He watched the girls suppress giggles as they went across the street.

There was controlled chaos inside. 

"Hey, Mr. Z," the girls greeted the man Rodney knew as their science teacher. "Where do we go with these?" Norah nodded to her basket.

"If you have clean coats, that will go out to the tent and we'll give those out today," he replied. "Otherwise, we're stacking up things that need cleaning in the smaller meeting room. We'll sort those over the next week for the Christmas give-away." He pointed off to their left.

Since they had come prepared with cleaned coats, Rodney took his basket out to the tent while Norah and Donna took the other donations to the meeting room.

Inside the tent, a tall, lanky man in a hoodie was standing in the middle of the tent with a couple of jackets in his hands. His jeans looked a trifle worn, as did the sneakers, but Rodney figured that was more practical than his chinos if he was here to help. Heaven only knew what work one would be assigned to.

"Where would you like these?" Rodney held up the basket.

The man jumped, obviously startled, and looked around. "How about over there?" he suggested. He carefully put the jackets back down on the small pile at his feet.

Rodney took the basket over to the stack that someone else had started against the back wall.

"Need some help?" he volunteered. Not that he'd mind helping inside with the food, but outside was probably going to be quieter in the end. And it was cooler out here, also.

"Um, sure," he said hesitantly. 

"Where should I start?" Rodney asked. He held out a hand, "Rodney McKay."

The other man took it and shook briefly, "John Sheppard."

Rodney looked around. There were a dozen standard folding tables stacked against one wall of the tent. "I suspect we should put up some of the tables. How about we sort by gender, and then by kids and adults. The size is only a guide anyways, and it's less work for us to get started."

"I guess that makes sense," John agreed. They worked quickly to set up most of the tables around the outside edges of the tent. 

"We can move things around once we get going. Okay, let's see what we've got," Rodney said, digging into the pile. "This batch looks like a lot of men's jackets," he decided. He looked up. "Let's put them over there." He indicated the table John had been standing near earlier.

He picked up the basket he had brought. Since he knew what was in it, it made it easier to start with it. He took the variety of jackets out and lay them on the table, then moved across the tent to the opposite side to lay out the things that had been Norah's. "I'm going to call this _girls_ , although I'm not sure if teenagers are really kids or women."

"You figure that one out, we'll both have a clue," John replied with a grin.

They had put a dent into the existing pile when more started coming in. "You check things as they come in, I'll keep sorting. Okay?" Rodney asked. They quickly cleared a set of tables near the entrance to keep everyone from tracking through the tent just to leave their donations.

"Sure," John said easily.

In another half an hour, Rodney had to stop sorting and give John a hand with the intake. Some of the things that people were essentially shoving at them were shabby or needed cleaning. Rodney started a pile for those, so they could be put with the other clothing inside the building. 

In spite of the cool temperature in the tent, Rodney was soon more than warm enough with the work they were doing. He took off his jacket and stashed it in a corner.

A stocky woman came rushing into the tent and stopped. "Oh, my god! Thank you for doing this," she exclaimed. "Bill Czarnecki was supposed to be here organizing the coat give-away, and I just got a message that he's home sicker than a dog and won't be able to make it."

"We have it under control," Rodney assured her. "Although we could use some coffee at some point, if you have someone that can bring some out to us." He looked at John. "Or you want something else?"

"No," John replied. "Coffee, black. That would be fine."

"Cream and one sugar... okay, sweetener, in mine," Rodney sighed, glancing at what Norah called his _love handles._. "If you can."

"Sure, I'll send one of the kids out with it," she promised. "And you can keep them busy helping you out here."

"An extra set of hands will be appreciated," Rodney said. "If you have two or three kids you can send out, we can put them to work."

"Perfect!" she nodded, bustling out again.

In a few minutes two teenage girls came out, bringing their coffee

"I'm Dee, short for Cordelia, but no one but my grandma calls me that," one said. "Coffee, cream and sweetener? I hope one was enough."

"Mine, and one should be fine," Rodney said. "Rodney McKay, Norah's dad."

"Sure, I know Norah, she's in my English class. Glad to meet you, Mr. M," Dee nodded, handing him the coffee.

"I'm Fred, short for Fredericka," the brunette said. "This must be yours." She handed the second cup to John.

"John Sheppard," John introduced himself.

"Okay, Mr S," Fred replied. "What do we do?"

Seeing John's wide, slightly panicked eyes, Rodney stepped in, "Mr. S will do basic intake." He pointed to the table near the door. "He's going to do a primary check to see if what's brought in can be re-distributed today. Dee, help Mr. S if the line gets too long, but the three of us will take anything that can be given away and sort out by gender and age." He pointed as he talked. "Men there, boys next to that, women on the other side and girls in this corner. Don't be too fussy on the size just try your best."

"Okay!" "Sure" The girls chorused.

Rodney got to drink about half his coffee before the tent became flooded with donations. John's pile of discards grew steadily but the majority of the coats brought to them were ready to be given back out today. Dee went back and forth between intake and sorting as time went on.

At one point, he picked up the now cold coffee, just to have something to drink. He was starting to get tired, and hoped whomever that woman was from earlier would remember them and get them some extra help. He gulped down the coffee, and went back to work.

There was a confusing moment when one of the tables collapsed with a sharp _bang_. Rodney jumped at the sudden noise, and looked around quickly to make sure no one had gotten hurt. John had dropped to a crouch and was motionless long enough that Rodney made a move to go over and check the man out. 

"You okay?" Rodney asked.

John shook himself and looked at the coat he had crumpled in his fists. "Umm... yeah... just..." he took a deep breath. "Yeah. Thanks."

Rodney put a hand on John's shoulder. "Breathe for a minute." He looked around. "Dee, give me a hand setting this back up."

Rodney and Dee went over to straighten the table and make sure the leg locks were firmly in position. They picked up the scattered clothing and put it back on top of the table.

They all got back to work, Rodney keeping a close eye on John.

About the time the donations slowed to a trickle, the same woman came back. There still was some sorting to do, but the tables were relatively full. There had been more donations than had been expected.

"This is excellent!" she enthused. "Okay, come in, get some food, and take a break. We will be letting folk in to select coats in about another hour. I have more folk to help with that, but if you can come back after you eat, I know it will make it easier."

Rodney replied, "Not a problem."

The two girls disappeared inside in a flash. Rodney looked to John, "Come on, let's get some food."

"Umm... no, you can..." John started.

"You worked as hard as the rest of us," Rodney said, confused but trying not to show it. "Keep me company? I know my daughter will be off doing something else, and I don't know many of the other parents."

"Not a parent," John protested.

"Doesn't matter," Rodney said. "You're helping, you're entitled to a break."

John glanced around and sighed. "Okay, I could eat," he admitted a bit reluctantly.

They went into the post and Rodney was glad to see a bathroom. "Bathroom stop first," he said. Then looked at his hands that were faintly itchy from handling the jackets. "And it'll be good to wash up."

"Sounds good," John agreed.

They used the bathroom, and then went into the large hall where more tables had been set up so people could sit and eat. There were reporters and camera people from Channels 2 and 4 positioned on opposite sides of the room.

If Rodney hadn't been behind John, he wouldn't have seen the stutter step of hesitation. He did see John take a deep breath and straighten slightly as they went to the serving line.

The line wasn't too long now, for which Rodney was grateful. He was thirsty as much as hungry, and he figured the food should be reasonably good. They had picked up trays and were moving to the end of the serving line when a hearty voice called out, "Major Sheppard! Over here!"

There was a flinch to go with the hesitation this time. 

Rodney had been through the 'dealing with returning vets' training on campus and figured that John was probably more of a guest than a volunteer, so he took his lead from the white knuckles John was gripping his tray with.

"We can still eat together," Rodney offered casually. "Unless you have to..."

Another deep breath. Rodney had an idle thought that if John did any more deep breathing, he'd soon be hyperventilating. 

"Um... you won't mind?" John asked softly.

"Not a problem," he replied matter-of-factly. "Come on, you're holding up the line." 

With a small jerk John moved forward, taking the plate of food handed to him, adding a roll and butter. As they got to the desserts, John said softly so that only Rodney could hear, "There'll probably be reporters." He had his head down, focused firmly on his tray.

"I'll manage," Rodney said, hearing the dread, eying a piece of apple pie. "Looks home made, and it's something my mom used to make," he offered by way of explanation, and to give them something to talk about.

The man belonging to the voice that had called at John was waiting for them as they got coffee and soft drinks. 

"Major! You didn't have to stand in line, we could have gotten that for you," the beefy man said.

John shrugged. "Didn't want any special treatment," he protested. 

The man looked at Rodney, "Post Commander Marvin Summers." 

There was a faint flash of recognition, but Rodney couldn't place the name or the face. "Rodney McKay," Rodney introduced himself.

"Mr. McKay! Good to meet you!" Summers exclaimed. "Know your work from the Victory Gardens project. My company built the complex."

That's why Rodney recognized the name. He had never met the contractor that had built the Victory Gardens public housing complex, but he had done the initial drawings for the architecture firm he worked for when he had time from his teaching position. The partners had actually dealt with the construction firm once the contracts had been awarded for the project, although they had come back to Rodney for some re-designs that had been requested.

Rodney was aware of John jittering nervously, poised for flight next to him. "How about a seat?" he said. "I'm starved and this looks great."

"Sorry, sorry," Summers said. "Sure, we have plenty of room."

Rodney sat to John's right, not sure what he was protecting the man from but he remembered enough of that campus workshop to know to keep things moving and not make a big deal of anything.

Rodney dug in with enthusiasm. The food really was good and he appreciated the chance to simply sit for a bit. He did a lot of standing while teaching classes but that was generally only for an hour or two at a stretch. They had spent.. whoa... almost four hours working in the tent this morning and he was more than ready to sit.

John was moving food around more than eating anything, so Rodney slowed his pace and said, "Good meal!" 

John glanced up, startled to be caught Rodney suspected, and the tops of his ears turned slightly red. "Yeah," he replied softly. He started to nibble at some of the food on his plate.

The reporter from Channel 2 came over and started to thrust their microphone at John. Rodney could see the other reporter sit up and pay attention. "Can we eat first?" Rodney asked calmly. "We'd like to appreciate the food. Give us fifteen minutes?"

"Now, look here..." Summers started to bluster.

"Please," John added softly.

The reporter caught a clue and cheerily said, "Sure, we have plenty of time. We can get some other footage."

"The coat donation tent... thing... whatever... is set up," Rodney suggested. "There's some awesome things there that will make some people happy."

"Good to know, thanks," the reporter replied. She went off and dragged the camera man out to the tent.

John poked at the food on his plate, but Rodney let him be and simply ate his own dinner. They both ignored Summers babbling about the dinner and plans they had for the post. They took turns humming agreement or inquiry at Summers, to keep him going -- which also helped to keep everyone else at bay.

Their fifteen minute grace period was over much too soon. Rodney drank his coffee and ate the pie as the reporter and her cameraman came back.

"I can stay," Rodney offered softly as he reached over John for the sugar.

"Umm... can... would you?" John asked quietly. 

"Sure," Rodney agreed. He put the sugar in his coffee and stirred it.

One of the teenage boys who must have been on KP duty leaned in and asked, "Are you done? I can take those, if you want."

"Go ahead," Rodney pushed the plate in his direction. He looked at John, "You got enough?"

"Yeah, thanks," John pushed the mostly full plate toward Rodney. Rodney passed it on to the teenager without comment. 

As the cleaning up was complete, the Channel 2 reporter sat down across from them and the Channel 4 reporter took that as her cue to come over also. Both cameraman stood to one side, to catch their reporter and John in the frame, without necessarily filming each other.

"Major Sheppard, welcome to Buffalo," the woman from Channel 2 said cheerily.

"Thank you," John said gravely.

"I understand that you've decided to move to Buffalo to work with other veterans," she prompted.

John did that deep breath thing again. "I'm mostly here as a private citizen," he said firmly. "I understand that there are a number of other veterans in the area that are in need of assistance. The VFW Post here is helpful in mentoring returning veterans, providing leads on jobs, and assistance in re-integrating to civilian life."

"What brought you to Buffalo?" the Channel 4 reporter asked.

John shrugged. "Some of the guys in my unit were from western New York and had spoken highly of it," he said. "I don't have any family, so I thought I'd check it out and see what it was like."

"I'd like to be among those who thank you for your service in defense of our country," the Channel 4 reporter said solemnly. "I hope you find you like it here and stay for a while."

John's ears turned red again as he dipped his head and said, "You're welcome."

The Channel 2 cameraman told the reporter, "We're good." The Channel 4 camera man said, "Should be fine."

The reporters nodded and the Channel 4 reporter said, "Perfect and thank you!"

Summers got up to follow the Channel 2 reporter and John _wilted_ in his seat. 

"More coffee?" Rodney asked.

"Umm... no, thanks," John replied. "I'm supposed to watch my caffeine."

"Sucks to be you," Rodney grinned. "Be right back, we're still on a break." Rodney went back to the beverage station and got himself another cup of coffee. He grabbed a bottled water while he was there.

"Here," he placed the water in front of John. "Need to keep hydrated."

John raised an eyebrow in consternation. 

Rodney grinned. "That's what my kid tells me, anyways."

After a few minutes, John asked, "Why? Umm..." He waved a hand in a way that could mean anything.

"Me? I'm here with my kid," Rodney said. "She's doing community service hours. It's part of what they do in the honor society, and she guilted me into agreeing to come and help also. At the very least, I'd be driving her here and then picking her and her girlfriend up after so it was just as easy to stay."

"Umm, not that," John said. "I mean... me." _Why are you helping me?_

"Dunno," Rodney admitted. "Assumed you were a volunteer and you didn't say otherwise. Then, when I realized what was going on, well, figured you could use a wing man."

John smiled at that. "Haven't had anyone watching my back in a while," he admitted. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Rodney said. "Ready to work some more?"

"Sure," John agreed.

They made their way back out to the tent, to find controlled chaos. Someone else was managing the tent, letting people into the area in small groups and helping some of the families find suitable coats for everyone.

"We can take the rest of the coats that need cleaning back into the building," Rodney decided. "Might as well be useful."

"Okay," John agreed. They each took an armful of the coats that didn't make the first cut and took them inside. They had to poke around to find the room where the other clothing had been left. It took several trips to get the coats moved inside.

"Now what?" John asked.

Not sure what to do next, Rodney said, "I guess we wait. Let's find someplace to sit, Norah will find me when she's ready to go."

"You don't have to..." John started to protest.

"Come on, there's got to be a tv with a football game somewhere," Rodney said. 

"Hockey's more my game," John grinned. "But I guess I can be sociable."

Turned out there was a technically-not-a-bar area in the back with a 72" wide screen tv and a college football game on. There were a handful of other men who Rodney guessed were fathers of some of the other teenage volunteers.

Rodney didn't follow college football enough to know the teams very well but Ohio State and Missisippi State were on the field and making an interesting game of it. Each side scored a couple of times, fumbled a couple of times, and Ohio State was ahead by a slim 3 point margin.

"Figured if I found a football game, you'd be in front of it!" Norah exclaimed from the doorway. "Ready to go?"

"Guess so," Rodney agreed. He looked at his watch and it was almost 5 pm. It had been a long day.

Rodney turned to John, and impulsively offered, "Come to our place Thursday. For Thanksgiving. It may or may not be special but, well, it'll be filling."

John stuttered, "You... don't have to..."

Rodney waved him off. "We'll be a small collection of folk who have no where else to go. One of my TAs is from California, and can't afford to go home for just a long weekend and will be bringing her roommate who's in the same boat. Norah's friend Donna will be there, umm, long story. One more or less won't make any difference."

John hesitated, obviously torn.

Rodney got out his wallet and a business card. "Norah, you have a crayon?" he asked. John looked puzzled, so Rodney explained. "Writing implement. _Crayon_ is as good a word as any for it."

Norah rolled her eyes, dug into her purse for a pen, and handed it over.

Rodney wrote their address and home phone number on the card and handed it to John. "Call me if you're not coming," Rodney directed firmly. "That's the house number and my cell number is on the front."

"Okay, thanks," John replied, holding the card tightly.

"See you Thursday," Norah said. "We eat about 4 but come anytime after 1 o'clock," she said. "The game will be on, and you can watch that while we prep dinner."

John looked pleased that Norah had extended the invitation without thinking twice.

"I'll be there," John promised.

They had gotten into the car when Norah leaned into the front seat and asked, "Didn't you have a jacket?"

Rodney looked down at himself and frowned. "Well, drat. I took it off in the coat tent... someone else probably has it by now."

Norah laughed, "Oh, dad!"


	3. Thanksgiving Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giving in to some undefined temptation, John decided to take Rodney up on that invitation for Thanksgiving dinner.

John wondered what he was thinking, agreeing to attend Thanksgiving dinner with Rodney and his daughter. It had been a long time since he had been to a family dinner of any type, much less for a holiday. Oh, well, he had a couple of days to think about it.

He watched Rodney drive off and, not sure what else to do, wandered back to the coat tent. He hadn't wanted to admit he was looking for a coat for himself when Rodney made the assumption he was a volunteer. 

"Hey, Major Sheppard," the man cleaning up the tent called. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No, thanks," John replied. "Can I help?"

"Almost done," the man replied with a wave. "I saw you working before, the help was appreciated."

"Sure," John said. He looked around to see what else needed to be done. He spotted a jacket in the corner and pulled it out. He shook it out and recognized it as Rodney's jacket.

"What did you find?" the other man asked.

"Rodney McKay was working with me, he took off his jacket earlier and must have forgotten it," John said. "I have his number, I'll give him a call."

"That works," the man said easily. 

When all the coats were inside, a half a dozen men who must have been regulars at the post came out and started taking down the tables and stacking them on a cart. It didn't take long to clear out the tent completely.

"Tent company comes tomorrow morning to take it down," someone commented.

Not having any other excuse to hang around, John took the jacket and went out to the street. Deciding it was easier than carrying it, he put it on, grateful for the extra warmth. He put his hands in the pockets and headed up the street.

For a city, Buffalo was relatively small, especially when compared to Chicago and especially New York. On the other hand, the rooming house he was living in was a good five miles from the VFW post and he wasn't yet familiar with the bus schedule to try to take public transportation. Dark had fallen before he started out and even keeping a brisk pace didn't help fight off the chill in the air. He needed to get a hat of some sort, his ears were cold.

The rooming house was nothing-special but cheap enough that he could afford it. He had some back pay saved up, but it wasn't enough to allow him to afford anything nicer, at least until he could find a steady job.

"Hey, John!" Al lived in the room next to his and often had his door open, looking for company. He loved to talk, and loved to play gin rummy even more. Al had come by and introduced himself on John's first day in the building.

"Hi," John replied. "Going to call it a night," he explained as he moved toward his own door. "Long day."

"Saw you on the news tonight," Al said. "Didn't know you were in the service."

Damn. This is why he hated events like the one today.

"Yeah," John admitted. "Got out recently and figuring out what to do next."

"You figure it out, you let me know," Al laughed. 

"Night," John said firmly. He really was tired.

Al took the hint. "Night," he replied. "Catch you some other time."

John let himself into his room and hung the jacket in the closet. The room had a sink with a mirror over it to let him wash up but the bathroom was down the hall and shared by the ten men on the floor. Since he rarely had anyplace to be on a schedule, he had been able to be flexible in using the facility. But a hot shower sounded like a good idea right now.

John put on a bathrobe and grabbed his shower kit and a towel. Al had been helpful in filling out the shower kit, showing John what he had cobbled together, and pointing out where John could get something similar for minimal cost.

The bathroom was empty when he got there. The single shower stall was at the far end of the room, beyond the two toilet stalls. John hung his towel on the hook just inside the curtain and put his kit on the small shelf. He turned on the shower, fortunately there seemed to be plenty of hot water, and took off his bathrobe.

The hot shower felt good. It took the remaining chill out of his body and warmed stiff muscles. He had worked harder today than he had in a while and the unaccustomed exercise had felt good. He washed carefully over the scars on his leg, some of them were still sensitive.

John crawled into bed, warm and comfortable. 

Surprisingly enough, a day he had not been looking forward to had turned out well. For the first time in a long time, John slept through the night without being disturbed by any dreams.

By Thursday morning, John was torn. He almost wanted to go to Rodney's for dinner but, he had to admit, he felt awkward and unexpectedly nervous. But the alternative was a turkey sandwich and gin rummy with Al. The rooms didn't have any cooking options -- in fact, anything resembling cooking was expressly forbidden -- but a small refrigerator in each room let residents keep cold drinks and some food. John had bought lunchmeat and bread to help stretch his money, and not have to eat out all the time.

John spent some time thinking about Rodney. Rodney was the first civilian to treat him like a 'normal' person. The men from the VFW post had either fawned over him or treated him like he was fragile and would break if they spoke to him wrong. The folk at the VA had been marginally better but had no time to really talk with him. Rodney had been protective of John in an undramatic sort of way, treating him like everyone else. It had been refreshing.

Giving in to some undefined temptation, John decided to go. The rooming house was a couple blocks from a bus line and he rode the bus as far as it went. It was another couple of miles walk to get to Rodney's place in the Lancaster suburb. He had used the computer in the public library down the street from the rooming house to Google directions to Rodney's house.

He really needed a hat. His ears were cold again and he huddled down in the jacket. Gloves would be nice, too. Good thing there wasn't any snow, he'd have wet feet to go with everything else. He certainly wasn't prepared for Buffalo weather.

He saw the name "McKay" on the mailbox at the street and went up the driveway. He looked up to see an elegantly designed home. It wasn't ostentatious but it was warm and welcoming. He rang the doorbell and waited. He suddenly realized that he could have brought something.

Norah answered the door. "Mr S! You came!" She looked at him, "Hey, you have a jacket just like the one my dad lost the other day. How funny. Come on in."

John was embarrassed. He had forgotten that this was Rodney's jacket and, since it was the only one he had, he had automatically worn it. But Norah was already walking away from him.

John took off the jacket and Norah turned to point to the closet next to the door. "Hang your stuff up there," she called. "Gotta get the cheese for the nachos off the stove before it burns!"

John hung the jacket and his hoodie, the house was pleasantly warm, and followed Norah to the kitchen. "Can I help?" he asked.

"Nachos over there," she pointed with her chin. "Open a bag and put it in the bowl."

John did as Norah puttered at the stove. "Now what?" he asked.

"Take that into the family room, back that way," she directed. "Follow the sound of the tv and you'll be all set. Wait. Get something to drink to take with you. In the fridge, help yourself."

John went over the fridge and grabbed a diet Coke from the box. He took that and the bowl of chips into the other room.

"John!" Rodney called, looking up. "Sorry, didn't hear you come in. Have a seat!"

John put the bowl of chips on the large coffee table in the center of what was obviously a well used and comfortable family room. He found a coaster for the soda before he put it down.

A football game had already started and was almost to the end of the first quarter. John sat back to relax and enjoy the game.

"Have any problems finding us?" Rodney asked.

"Nah," John replied. "Googled the address and the map was accurate."

"Good enough," Rodney replied easily.

Norah leaned into the hall and called, "Door, dad. I got the last one! Can't leave the stove!"

"Damn doorbell," Rodney groused. "Doesn't work properly and you can't hear it unless you're in the kitchen." He got up and hurried out of the room.

Since he was alone, John looked around. An over sized room, it was simply decorated with a portrait of Rodney and Norah above the fireplace and a set of overflowing bookshelves along the opposite wall. John itched to poke through the bookshelves but resisted, not wanting to wear out his welcome in his first hour in the house.

A teenage girl John vaguely remembered from the other day came bounding in, followed by Norah who had oven mitts on her hands, holding what he suspected was the cheese for the nachos. Three other people followed, and Rodney brought up the rear.

"John Sheppard, you might or might not remember Norah's friend Donna," Rodney introduced everyone. "This is my TA Ghadir, her roommate Ronni and their friend.." he turned to the third person. "Okay, sorry, tell me your name again?"

An asian looking young man said, "Kovit."

"Kovit," Rodney repeated, obviously trying to remember it. "Everyone, John. Drinks in the fridge, food will be coming out of our ears before we're done and bathroom's around the corner. Ask if you need anything else."

"Thank you for having us," Ronni said formally. She looked a little older than the other two and had a slight British accent. "We appreciate your hospitality."

"Not a problem!" Rodney replied easily. "Glad to have you. Sit, be comfortable."

Detroit didn't have much of a team this year but they put up a good fight, so it was an entertaining game. Norah and Donna disappeared before the end of the second quarter but the others sat around talking amiably and rooting for the underdog Lions.

During the fourth quarter, Donna came around and offered more drinks and picked up the snacks. "Dinner in another hour or so," she explained. "Need to save some room for the rest of the food."

Ghadir and Ronni popped up with that announcement and asked, "What can we do?"

Donna waved them to follow her, "I think Norah has some things you can help with." As John was about to move she added, "And two's plenty of help, thanks. Any more and we'll be in each other's way."

John settled back into the lounge chair at that and contented himself with watching the game.

Rodney asked Kovit, "Where are you from originally?"

"From Thailand," he replied. "I've been in the US for most of my life but my family was going back to Thailand to visit for a couple of months and it was impossible for me to go while school was in session. I hope to join them at Christmas time."

"Well then, glad you could join us," Rodney said. "What program are you in?"

"I'm almost ABD in Economics," he replied. "I'm finishing up my last classes this semester and have already completed the literature research. I should be able to graduate in August and then I'm going back to a Ministry position in Bankok. The government has helped fund my education and I am obligated to work for them for at least five years."

"Sounds like a good deal," Rodney observed. 

Kovit shrugged. "It is something my father has arranged through an uncle who works for the government. Since I have lived in the US for most of my life, it will be strange for me to actually live in my homeland."

"It's hard at first," John found himself putting in. "Working in another country like that takes some getting used to. Give yourself six months before you make any serious decisions about whether you like it or not."

"That's right!" Rodney put in. "You've been overseas." He looked at Kovit. "John was in the service and recently got out."

John allowed the brief description stand, it was as reasonable a summary as any. "I was in Italy for a year and later ended up in Afghanistan. Even living on a base, you also get a flavor of the country. Everywhere is different, not necessarily good or bad, and you have to figure out what you want to do."

Kovit grinned. "That's pretty much what my mother has said," he admitted. " _Give it time,_ she says." He shrugged. "Guess that's my only choice."

"Going in with a good attitude will help," John added. "I saw lots of guys who were determined to hate it from the day they arrived and, hate it they did. They were miserable and it was tough to be around them."

By then the game was over -- Detroit losing in the last five minutes of the game -- the post game show was on and Rodney flicked through the channels. 

"Let me find the channel for the next game. But dinner should be ready soon, I would think," he said. "I'm to stay out of the way until I'm called." He grinned. "It's not my fault that I got distracted last year and burnt the gravy."

"No gravy?" John asked in mock horror. "I'd keep you out of the kitchen, too."

"We had other gravy out of a jar or something," he defended himself. "Okay, it wasn't the same."

"No it wasn't," Norah put in from the doorway. "Wash up, dinner's almost ready."

"You guys go ahead," Rodney directed. "I'll go upstairs and use the bathroom there."

John let Kovit use the bathroom and then went into the small room. He pissed and then washed his hands, using the dainty 'hostess' towel to dry them on. He looked at it for a moment, not realizing how much he missed niceties like this.

John went back to the kitchen and Donna pointed him off to another room, "There." 

The dining room would probably sit sixteen, if they were very good friends. The six of them would have plenty of space to eat comfortably. On the other hand, there was enough food on the table for at least twenty people.

"Come, sit," Norah directed. She sat John down at one end. "Dad has the head, but you can be the foot!" She giggled.

Rodney came in then and sat at the other end and looked over the spread. "What do we have?" he asked.

Norah rattled off the dishes, which included, of course, turkey, but there was mashed potato casserole, gravy, two kinds of stuffing, three kinds of vegetables -- which were all vegan, _just in case_ \-- rolls and breads, cranberries fixed three ways and a bowl of salad.

"Anyone with any allergies or things you really do not like?" she asked.

"Nuts," Kovit looked apologetic.

"There are nuts in the one stuffing and the cranberry bread, but nothing else," she said.

"Olives," John felt obligated to put in. "Not an allergy but, well, I don't like to eat them if I can avoid it."

"Stay away from the salad," she advised, "but everything else is safe."

She gave them a heartbeat to say anything else then reached out a hand to grasp John's and took Ronni's hand. It was a bit of a stretch around the large table, but it was a nice touch. "Then we need to be thankful," she said. "Everyone add one thing you are thankful for. Dad, you start."

"I'm thankful that Norah is a good kid and that she has good friends," Rodney said with a smile at his daughter.

Ghadir was next. "I am thankful to be passing calculus!" Everyone laughed.

Donna added softly, "I am thankful for good friends." John could hear the underlying message that it wasn't as simple as she had stated, but it was his turn.

"I am grateful for my health and a new start," he added.

Norah then said, "I'm am thankful for a great dad and a good life."

Ronni finished up with, "I am thankful for a good meal and I'm hoping there will be leftovers!" More laughter. 

"Eat up!" Rodney directed.

There was something that looked like wine in front of him and, catching his look, Norah explained to the table at large, "Just sparking apple juice, everyone."

They dug in. The food was excellent and John ate more than he probably should have, feeling very full before he was done. Even just a small taste of all the dishes was an immense amount of food.

They all were groaning before they were done but it was a good sound, John realized. 

"Since we did the cooking, the guys get to do the cleanup," Norah proclaimed.

"Fair enough," John replied. "Dishes I can do."

"Let's take the food out to the kitchen and everyone is welcome to take leftovers," Norah added. "I'm not going to let all this go to waste, or eat it all myself."

Ronnie and Ghadir looked delighted at the offer and even Kovit smiled.

"Come on," Donna grabbed a couple of the serving dishes. "There's more in the kitchen."

"More!" Rodney squawked. "Were you going to feed the entire town?"

"Not that much more," Norah soothed. "And you'd not have it any other way."

At Rodney's suddenly bashful look, everyone knew it was true.

Norah had laid out disposable dishes that looked like they belonged in a restaurant. "Make up whatever you have storage for and you'll have some pre-made dinners," she said.

The three students worked at it cheerfully. Each had three ready-to-heat meals by the time they were done. 

"Mr S? You going to take anything?" Donna asked.

"I... sure," he said. "Do you mind if I make a plate for the guy who lives in the room next to me? He'd appreciate the home made food."

"Sure," Norah said. "No problem. There's plenty to share."

Not really sure what Al liked, John put a little of everything on a plate and then made a second for himself. There were lids for the plates and plastic bags to make carrying easier.

While one load went through the dishwasher, John and Kovit washed and dried glasses and larger dishes while Rodney put things away. Since Rodney knew where everything went, that was the most sensible way. Norah had obviously done some washing up before they sat down to eat since there were only a handful of pots and pans to wash. 

In a flurry of movement, Ghadir, Ronni and Kovit suddenly left. John was annoyed with himself because he had hoped for a ride to at least the nearest bus line. It was dark and misty, which meant walking would be nasty.

As Norah and Donna were waving the others off, Norah looked out over the empty driveway and asked, "Where's your car?"

"Umm... don't have one," John had to admit.

"How did you get here?" she demanded, eyes wide.

"Took the bus," he replied.

"But... the bus doesn't come anywhere near here!" she protested. 

"Walked from the end of the bus line, that's all," he admitted. "I was hoping the others would give me a ride."

"Mr S! Honestly!" she sighed. She turned and went back inside the house. 

John grabbed his hoodie and Rodney's jacket. He couldn't afford to return it now, it would be cold walking back to the bus. He was glad there were some discrete reflective stripes on the jacket so he would be more visible to passing cars.

Rodney hurtled into the vestibule. "What do you mean you _walked_?" The look of horror on Rodney's face was almost comical. He waved his hands. "There's no sidewalks and it must be... how far is it to the bus stop anyway? Is there even a bus at this time of night? What were you thinking?"

For some odd reason, it felt good to be yelled at like that. Like someone cared.

John grinned. "It's only a couple of miles to the bus stop, the last bus leaves at 11 pm, so there's plenty of time and, well," okay, this wasn't so easy to admit in the end, "it's all I got."

"A couple of miles? 11 pm? What the fuck?" Rodney said in amazement.

"Hey! It's not that bad," John soothed. "Done worse on a night mission, although there wasn't much walking alone, especially at night. But walking's good for you."

Rodney pinched the bridge of his nose. John was amused that people really did that and it wasn't something writers made up.

"I would normally offer to take you home," Rodney sighed, "but, there's a complication with Donna. I can't take her anywhere outside the house and I don't want to leave the girls here alone. I trust them, it's other people I don't trust and anything more than that isn't my story to tell."

"So, I'll walk then," John said patiently.

"You will not!" Rodney all but growled. "You can spend the night here, we will eat leftovers for breakfast, make sure Donna's home safe and _then_ I can take you wherever you need to go."

"You don't have to..." John automatically protested.

"Yes, I do," Rodney replied. "Besides, with Donna spending the night, there's not going to be much sleeping. At least on the girl's part. They will be up all night watching something like Harry Potter on Netflix and will end up falling asleep in the family room. You can have the bed in the spare bedroom."

"I don't want to inconvenience anyone," John made one last effort to leave.

"Take the jacket off and stay," Rodney said. "It'll give the girls something to fuss over, finding you a toothbrush and whatnot. But it's not a bother."

"You sure?" John had to ask.

"I'm sure," Rodney said softly. That sincerity was John's undoing.

John took off the jacket and hoodie and hung them up in the closet.

"Thanks," he said.


	4. Thanksgiving Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To not even think about how John would have gotten to the house was a huge oversight on his part.

Rodney was appalled and suspected that he should be embarrassed. He considered himself a relatively bright person and hoped he was sensible. To not even think about how John would have gotten to the house was a huge oversight on his part. He didn't even know where the Metro bus would have left John off, but he knew it wasn't anywhere nearby.

The girls were in their element, fussing over John. Donna checked over the spare bedroom and its attached bathroom, and dug out fresh towels before she pronounced it 'ready for use.'

Norah scoured the linen closet for the spare toothbrushes they had, courtesy of their regular dentist appointments. She then rooted through the dresser in the spare room for the extra pajamas she knew were there. Her grandparents regularly bought Rodney multiple sets of pajamas for Christmas presents, which Rodney took with appropriate thanks before stashing them away. They kept coming faster than he could wear them and even with putting several sets in the clothing donations they had taken to the VFW, there were still half a dozen sets available.

"There's soap and stuff in the bathroom," Norah said. She considered. "One more thing." 

She dashed out and came back with a straight razor. "In case you want to..." She shrugged.

"Thanks," John said, looking faintly overwhelmed. "It's fine."

Rodney came by at that point. "The girls are going to take over the family room, but if you don't mind me working while we watch tv, we can use my office."

"You don't have to..." John started.

"I have papers to grade," Rodney went on. "Having company will stop me from burning some of them instead of grading them."

"Ummm.... then, maybe, mind if I get a book to read?" John asked. "Thought I saw something downstairs that I'd like to look at."

Rodney waved a hand. "Please, help yourself," he said. He pointed across the hall. "Office is there. Pick something out, get a drink if you want. I have plenty to do."

"Good enough," John replied.

Rodney went into his office and booted up his computer. Most of the assignments he needed to correct were in the online course management system. So there wasn't any real danger of papers being burned wholesale -- but it was a good metaphor. A couple of students had turned in hard copy, which was something of a nuisance because he occasionally didn't get something entered into his grade book and then had to scramble to find it. He tried to be 'tough' about turning things in electronically, but it didn't always work.

He turned on the flat screen tv he had installed in the office. He found a hockey game, remembering that John had something about liking hockey more than football. He would only watch with half an ear anyway.

John came back with a paperback and bottled water. He held the book up, "Asimov, the original Foundation series. I haven't read this since I was a kid."

"Yeah, me either," Rodney admitted. "It's something I picked up in a second hand store, hoping to read it again. Just never got around to it."

John looked at the tv. "Hockey?" He gave a small smile.

"It's a west coast game, which is why it's just starting," he admitted.

"What sort of assignments are you grading?" John asked.

"I teach architecture," Rodney explained. "Mostly undergraduate courses but the occasional grad course. Since I never slogged through to the PhD but I have some major design experience, I'm not quite the low man on the totem pole, but I end up with many of the undergraduate courses."

"Architecture?" John asked.

"Designed the house," Rodney said proudly. "Had it built just for us."

John looked around, "It's nice."

"It took us a long time to get here," Rodney said. "Me and Norah, it's been the two of us from just about the beginning and life was tougher when she was little. But I also wouldn't trade her for anything in the world."

"She's a great kid," John said truthfully. "You have got to be proud of her."

Rodney smiled fondly. "I am," he said.

"Do your grading," John prodded him. "I'm fine here." He waved his book.

Rodney gave a small sigh. "Yeah, gotta be done." He turned back to his computer. He was glad to have broken down and bought the two oversized monitors for the house. He had the same setup in his office and it made it easier to correct papers online without having to print them. 

He worked steadily and finished the one set he had wanted to get done tonight. He had more to finish before Monday, but this was the overdue ones that had to be done first. He reached up and stretched in place, back popping 

He looked around to see John had dozed off in the armchair. He took advantage of the unguarded moment to really _look_ at the other man.

The clothing was just baggy enough without being sloppy to hide a multitude of sins but the delicate wrist bones led Rodney to suspect John was skinny rather than just lean. The fact that he was at the VFW Post led Rodney to believe that John had been wounded in Afghanistan and maybe wasn't as healthy as he wanted everyone to think he was. In spite of that not-quite-fragile air, he was very good looking.

It was like there were two warring imps on Rodney's shoulders. The _good_ imp wanted Rodney to protect John from whatever bad things were going on in his life. The _bad_ imp wanted Rodney to keep John for himself.

It had been a long time since Rodney had slept with a woman, and since college since he had slept with another man. He had been too busy -- and too tired -- when Norah was younger to try to meet anyone, much less have anything resembling a relationship with another adult. And then... time had slipped by and he and Norah had become comfortable together.

"Hey!" John said sleepily. "Must have dozed off."

"No problem," Rodney assured him quickly, looking away from what could be bedroom eyes. "Just finished and was going to wake you up to send you to bed."

John gave a lazy grin that under other circumstances Rodney would have taken to mean more. "Now you sound like my mom," John replied. 

Not wanting the night to end, Rodney asked, "Want to raid the fridge? I think there's pie... We never did get to dessert."

A low groan but eyes danced in merriment. "Apple pie?"

"We'll have to go and see," Rodney replied. 

"I'm game if you are," John said.

They made their way back downstairs. Rodney decided to leave the girls to whatever they were doing, giving them their privacy. He could hear the tv running what probably was a movie.

The pies were in the pantry, Rodney brought them out. "Apple or cherry?" he asked. There was already a piece of each missing -- the girls had beat them to it.

"Oh, apple," John replied eagerly.

"There's milk in the fridge, unless you want coffee," Rodney said as he got plates and forks.

"Way too late for coffee, and watching the caffeine," John said. He went to the fridge and pulled out a gallon of milk. He looked around and went to the cupboard above the sink and found glasses.

Rodney raised an eyebrow, and John shrugged. "Everyone keeps glasses there," he explained.

"I guess they do," Rodney had to agree. He cut apple pie for John and cherry for himself. "Ice cream?"

John looked ruefully at the pie and laughed, "Oh, heck. Sure."

Rodney went to the freezer and opened the door. "Vanilla or caramel?"

"Caramel," John said instantly. 

Rodney grabbed the caramel and rooted through the silverware drawer for a heavy spoon to serve the ice cream with. They had a scoop somewhere, but he liked the spoon.

They sat companionably at the kitchen table to eat their goodies.

Rodney hesitated for a moment but one of those imps -- and he wasn't sure if it was the good or the bad one -- make him ask, "I don't want to pry but... well, tell me something about yourself."

John froze for a moment as he put a forkful of pie in his mouth. He chewed carefully and swallowed. "What sort of things?"

"Why Buffalo? I mean, really?" he started. "And what are you looking to do here?"

John took another forkful of pie and ice cream. "Buffalo? I really did know some guys from the area. They talked endlessly about how great the people were here, and the amazing food. There's also a good VA hospital where I can do my outpatient therapy."

"You were wounded?" Rodney asked, trying to balance curiosity and studied indifference. 

"Yeah," John said softly. Rodney understood he wasn't going to get more than that.

"You have to have a degree in something, to be an officer," Rodney decided switching topics might be a good idea. "What did you do?"

"I have a bachelors degree in Physics, of all things," John admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "It's been a long time and not sure what good it does me now."

"They're always looking for tutors at the college," Rodney suggested. "Even if you haven't done anything special with your degree in a while, I'll bet you could pick it up fast enough. And anyone that can tutor basic math and basic sciences is always welcome. It's only part time, but, heck, it would be something."

He could see John considering that.

"I'll give you the number of the woman who runs the tutoring center," Rodney added. "Classes are out for the semester in another couple of weeks but maybe she could get you some textbooks and you could prep for spring classes."

"Was considering going back to school," John said. "Not sure in what but..."

This sort of thing Rodney knew from his experience in advising undergrads. "Find one thing you _want_ to learn and start with that," he said. "If you don't have to take a full course load, then take something in the spring that you might want to learn. Or relearn, as the case may be. Once you have your feet under you, then you can do more."

"I'll think about it," John replied.

Rodney yawned and could see John drooping. "I don't know about you, but I've had enough for today," he said through the next yawn. Dishes went into the dishwasher and they headed upstairs.

"The girls will sleep in tomorrow, so you can do the same," Rodney said. "It'll be at least ten before they're ready to go anywhere and Donna doesn't get picked up until noon. If that's okay with you?"

John ducked his head in a shy nod. "Sure," he replied. "If it's a bother, I can..."

"No, you cannot," Rodney interrupted firmly. "And it's not a bother."

A grin this time. "Okay, thanks."


	5. Friday Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John saw the bright orange sticky note that said, "Turn me on for coffee" with a smiley face, and did so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dunnnnn.....
> 
> (Sorry, not sorry for the cliffie...)

John woke slowly, warm and logy from sleeping longer than he had in a long time. The bedside clock said _8:15_ \-- even if it had been almost 1 am before they had gone to bed, it was later than he had been able to sleep recently.

He got up and used the attached bathroom. It was small but boasted a shower that he decided to take advantage of. 

After toweling off, he frowned slightly at the day old clothes he had to put back on. Not that he hadn't done worse at more than one point while in the service, but he had gotten used to clean underwear daily. Something of a minor luxury in his life that he finally had control over.

John wandered past Rodney's door, acutely conscious of the man that probably was still sleeping there -- a thought he didn't want to examine too closely. It was quiet, so he assumed the girls were still sleeping. He saw the bright orange sticky note that said, "Turn me on for coffee" with a smiley face, and did so.

While the coffee brewed, he got the milk out of the fridge and debated for a moment. He went to the pantry where Rodney had found the pies last night and found shelves of food. He took the box of Cheerios he found and then had to poke through the cabinets for a bowl. He found coffee cups at the same time.

He sat in the peaceful silence as he ate a bowl of cereal and drank a cup of the very good coffee. John wasn't a coffee snob, but he knew enough to appreciate full flavored, good coffee when he got it. Decaf wasn't just the same, and since the docs had said to limit caffeine, he had avoided coffee all together.

A burbling sound that was probably a cell phone came from somewhere. John heard one of the girls answer it, and then the voice turned sharp. He couldn't hear what was being said, but the tone wasn't happy. There was some discussion between the two girls and then they came out to the kitchen.

"Mr S! Good morning," Norah said. Donna had the frown on her face, so she must have been the one getting the bad news. "Was hoping you were my dad," she apologized.

"Sorry," he replied. "I haven't seen him yet."

"Probably still sleeping," she shrugged. "I'll be right back."

John poked at the box of cereal. "Cheerios?" he asked Donna.

"Um.. I'll wait," she said, sitting heavily in a chair with a gloomy air.

Norah was back quickly. "Give him five minutes," she said. She turned on the oven and pulled a covered pan out of the refrigerator. "Baked oatmeal," she explained. "It's supposed to be a treat, so I only make it once in a while."

"Not hungry," Donna pouted.

"No problem," Norah obviously knew her friend well enough to roll with the bad mood.

In less than the promised five minutes, Rodney came in. "What's up?"

Donna sighed. "I'm really, really sorry, but I can't go home today," she said in a rush. "Maybe tomorrow. I need to stay."

Rodney's face flickered with... something that John wanted to ask about but knew wasn't his business. He smiled for the girls. "Not a problem!" he enthused. Then frowned as he looked at John. "Umm... that means you're stuck, too. Do you need to be anyplace?"

John shrugged. "I can still walk to.."

Norah looked out the window and said, "Not in that mess!"

John looked out in dismay at the inch of slush on the ground and what would be icy cold precipitation coming down. "I can..."

"Do you need to be anyplace?" Rodney asked again, patiently.

Giving in, John admitted, "No, not really."

"You'll stay?" Rodney asked. "Should be only another night."

Looking at the hopeful look in Norah's eyes, John knew he was screwed. "I'll stay," he agreed.

There was a squeal and Norah threw herself at him to give a quick hug. The girls scampered off to go upstairs. Norah turned around for a moment, "The oatmeal will be ready in about half an hour. Be ready for breakfast."

"I already..." John pointed helplessly at the box of Cheerios.

"Oh, there's always more food. And thanks for making that easier," Rodney said. 

"Anything I can do to help?" John asked, not sure what he was getting into.

Rodney debated for a moment, "Not really, but you do need to know a little. Donna, obviously, has an... shall we say _interesting_ home environment. She lives with her mom, no dad, and her mom had to work over the holiday, which is why she's here. She needs to be careful about what she does and where she goes. But, well, more than that, I can't tell you."

John guessed there might be some abuse there, but what kind was endless. Or maybe something domestic between the parents, even if the dad isn't in the picture. Oh, well, not really his problem. He was warm, dry and with some people who might be good friends.

John went back upstairs to his ro-... to the guest room. He decided to use the straight razor Norah had dug out from somewhere last night to shave before he had what would be a second breakfast. He grinned. _Second breakfast_ \-- just like a Hobbit!

Going back to the kitchen, John looked out the window. The 'rain' was still coming down, although it was as much slush as water. It was starting to build up. He wriggled his toes in his sneakers. He'd have to get warm boots sooner than he had thought. Maybe Rodney and Norah could point him at an inexpensive shoe store where he could get boots. 

It wasn't long before Rodney came back down, hair slicked back from what had to be a quick shower. 

"Eggs?" Rodney asked, getting a pan out of a cabinet. 

"I thought you weren't allowed to cook," John teased.

"Gravy," Rodney shot back. "I'm not allowed to make gravy. I certainly can make scrambled eggs."

"The oatmeal sounded interesting," John countered. 

"I'll make eggs," Rodney declared. "I know the girls will eat some, even if only to be polite." He nodded toward the fridge. "There should be bagels in the freezer, if you want."

"Will anyone else want one?" John asked. "I'm not sure we need anything else."

Rodney shrugged. "I'll eat the oatmeal, too. So maybe just eggs and oatmeal."

"I already had cereal," John offered. "Not sure I'm really hungry."

"Don't even think about not eating something," Rodney warned him. "The girls will fuss."

_And you will, too,_ John thought. It was a pleasant, if faintly scary, thought.

The timer on the oven went off before the girls reappeared. Rodney went to check on the oatmeal and looked at it dubiously. 

"I never know when this is done," he complained. He closed the oven door and put another five minutes on the timer.

"I can set the table," John offered, not sure what else to do.

"Sure, go ahead," Rodney directed. He was breaking eggs into a bowl. "Girls should be ready shortly."

John got plates, silverware and glasses on the table. He thought for a moment and then looked in the pantry for paper napkins. 

"Will Norah or Donna drink coffee?" John asked.

"Nah, but I'll have some," Rodney replied. He was beating the eggs, adding salt and pepper. John could smell butter melting. 

Norah came hustling back, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. She checked the oven and decided that the oatmeal was done. "How much longer to the eggs?" she asked.

"Just started," Rodney replied, stirring the eggs carefully.

"Put some juice and milk on the table," Norah said to John. "Donna may or may not want coffee, put some mugs out, please?"

"Think we need bagels?" Rodney asked.

Norah looked over his shoulder at the eggs. "You probably have most of a dozen of eggs there," she said. "And with the oatmeal, it should be plenty."

John's second breakfast was noisy in a good way. Norah and Rodney bantered back and forth, drawing Donna and John into the conversation. The oatmeal was a great success, having blueberries, bananas and nuts to make it as much of a treat as a breakfast food. 

"It calls for walnuts, but I like to use pecans," Norah explained. "But I could eat the just about every day."

"It is good," John had to admit. Norah dimpled at the compliment.

Everyone helped clean up and when everything was done, Norah asked prettily, "Play with us?"

"Norah!" Rodney groaned.

"Come on," she begged. "There's nothing watchable on tv and you can grade papers later," she said. "We'll go easy on you."

"Ha!" Rodney snorted. He looked at John. "We have a Wii.. it's like playing against pool sharks, as a warning."

John shrugged. "Don't know any of the games," he temporized.

"Bowling! We can play bowling!" Norah said. "It's not hard. Really."

"Think we can take them?" John teased.

"No, not really," Rodney said. "But it is better than grading papers."

"Yes!" Norah punched the air. She grabbed Donna's hand and they raced to the family room.

"One more cup of coffee!" Rodney called after them. He got his coffee and sat at the table. "It beats fighting the crowds at the stores today and, well, I suspect there won't be a lot more years that Norah will be home."

"Enjoy it while you can," John agreed. He had his daily limit of coffee at this point and poured himself some juice to keep Rodney company.

Donna seemed to cheer up with the Wii competition. She and Norah had set up an avatar for John and eagerly explained the minimal rules and how to use the hand controller.

John looked around the family room. He hadn't realized there were so many windows yesterday, the shades evidently all had been drawn. With the gloomy day today, the shades were up, revealing windows on two opposite walls. The family room was essentially a 'wing' of the house with three outside walls. It would be even brighter on a sunny day but, with the gloom, the shades weren't needed to be able to use the tv.

Wii bowling wasn't all that hard, John realized, but Rodney was pretty bad at it. He didn't have enough hand-eye coordination to score well consistently. The two girls either were naturals or, more likely, had played the game enough to know how to do well. 

John picked it up quickly. It really wasn't hard, and he did well enough to keep him and Rodney in the game.

They had lost one game to the girls and Norah and Donna were doing a celebration dance when it happened.

There was a tinkle of glass and a _whump_ that took John the eternity of a heartbeat to recognize. He sprung at the two girls, wrapping an arm around each and wrestled them to the floor. He twisted so as not land on top of them but he that meant he landed hard on his bad hip. He growled at Rodney, "Down! On the floor! NOW!"

Rodney looked at him blankly but another tinkling sound of breaking glass and a solid _thunk_ of something hitting somewhere close made finally Rodney drop to the floor.

The girls squealed in protest in John's arms and he gripped them tighter. "Stop it. This isn't funny."

Norah gasped once and stilled. 

"Where's your phone?" John asked urgently.

"Over there," Norah nodded off to the other side of the room.

"Mine's in that bag," Donna pointed to a duffle bag just out of reach.

"Stay against the couch and don't move!" John commanded. He looked at Rodney who was white but not obviously panicking. "The couch should provide a layer of protection."

"The remote for the windows," Rodney said urgently. "Where is it?"

Norah frowned. "On the fireplace, where it always is."

"Shit," Rodney swore. That was on the opposite end of the room, high up on the wall.

Another tinkle of glass and a _thunk_. From a different angle and lower. John decided, "Okay, we need to move, we're too exposed here. You need to stay as low to the ground as you can and let the furniture protect us as much as possible."

They all looked at him solemnly. "Rodney, you first. To the kitchen and stay low, away from the windows. Once you're there, move to the pantry since there are no windows there."

"Brick on the outside there," Rodney put in. "It'll give us more protection."

"Good," John approved. "Then Donna and then Norah. I'll grab the bag as I bring up the rear."

"There's a phone in the kitchen," Rodney put in.

"Have to assume that the lines are probably down," John said. "We have a better chance with the cell phone. And it's more important to get to a protected location."

"Okay," Rodney agreed.

"Go!" John commanded. He watched in approval as Rodney dragged himself along the floor to the kitchen. As he cleared the door, he let Donna go with a small push. "You next." When Donna had cleared the door, he nudged Norah, "You now. You're doing good."

"Thanks. I think," she muttered. She followed the other two.

John took a deep breath and moved across the open space to grab the bag Donna had indicated. Another tinkle and _thud_ happened as he moved in an unprotected space. Once he had the bag he rolled back to the cover the couch offered and took a deep breath before he dragged himself to the kitchen.

The other three were already in the pantry, fortunately. Rodney had moved the girls to the rear of the small space. He handed Rodney the phone. "Call 911," he ordered. "Tell them shots fired. That should get their attention."

Rodney focused on dialing the unfamiliar phone. John eased forward just in front of the entry to the pantry.

"What are you doing?" Norah hissed at him.

"Shh..." John said. 

He could _hear_ Norah roll her eyes. But he wanted to listen in case anyone was trying to actually break into the house. They were in the most defensible position he could find, and if anyone was in the house, they'd have to go through him to get to the others.

He could hear Rodney's not-quite-frantic voice talking to the 911 operator. It was probably the standard "we'll stay on the line with you" response that seemed to be the standard operating procedure of police departments everywhere.

It wasn't long before the sound of multiple sirens coming fast let them know the police were coming. It would definitely scare off whoever was out there, but, by then, John was glad for that.

"There should be an Officer Malloy coming to the front door," Rodney said. "He'll have his ID out for you."

"Stay here," John commanded. He looked at them. "I mean it."

"We will," Rodney promised.


	6. Safe House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Oh, my god...real bullets..._ Rodney tried not to hyperventilate.

Rodney had never been so glad to have his house invaded by a squad of policemen in his entire life. Even if they were tracking muddy, wet slush all over his kitchen and family room right now. He, Donna, and Norah were seated at the kitchen table but Rodney could see police checking out the broken glass and what must be bullets in the walls. 

_Oh, my god...real bullets..._ Rodney tried not to hyperventilate.

John had answered the door and decided that Officer Malloy must really be Office Malloy and had let him in. John moved to stand near the kitchen sink - Rodney knew from there he could see into the family room as well as watch the back door.

Malloy had been quickly followed by half a dozen other officers, some of whom came in for a quick briefing on what was happening before leaving to scout the area for the shooter or any evidence.

In the end Rodney knew he should not have been surprised when a team from the US Marshall's Office showed up. Donna lit up when she saw the woman on the team, "Judie!"

Judie came over and drew Donna in for a hug. "Oh, sweetie," she said. "You all right?"

"Mr. S saved us all!" Donna told her. "He was awesome!"

Judie looked around and spotted John. "That your Mr. S?" she asked. She evidently knew who Rodney and Norah were -- Rodney knew 'they' had his and Norah's pictures, Donna had apologetically taken them months ago with her phone -- so the only other unknown civilian there was John.

"Mr. S!" Donna called. "This is my friend Judie."

Rodney saw the reluctance on John's face and the resigned hitch of the shoulders. But John came over to join the discussion. Rodney thought John had a slight limp as he walked across the kitchen.

Keeping one arm around Donna, Judie held out a hand to John. "Deputy US Marshall Judie Cunningham," she said.

"John Sheppard," John said, shaking her hand briefly.

"Good work there," she said. "What happened?"

"He was probably shooting without a scope, since he missed. Or he's really bad at shooting over a distance," John said, like he was making a formal report. "And a silencer, there wasn't an echo. Relatively small caliber, the shots mostly went through the window glass and didn't blow the panes out."

Judie's eyes narrowed in consideration. "And you're familiar with that... how?"

John sighed. "Major John Sheppard, retired Air Force. Well, medical discharge. I was in Afghanistan and have weapons training." He shrugged.

"Any idea how far away he was?" she asked.

"Probably no more than two or three hundred yards," John replied. "Not much more. He couldn't plan for it, but the overcast weather wouldn't let him work at any longer distance. And it was somewhat opportunistic. He wouldn't know for sure that we'd raise the blinds today."

"Good point," she agreed. "There's plenty of cover and multiple ways in and out, even in this weather."

"We raise those blinds all the time," Rodney added, face white. "I like the natural light, the room was designed to maximize the amount of natural light in the room."

"So anyone watching the house for even a few days would know that," Judie said gently. 

Rodney nodded jerkily.

"Now what?" John asked, trying to be practical.

"We're arranging for someplace for all of you to stay tonight," Judie said. "You can't stay here, even if whoever was out there is gone, we don't know if or when he'll be back. We need to put you in a safe house for a couple of nights."

"All of us?" John asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yes, sorry, you, too," she confirmed. "At the very least, you're a material witness. And we can't ignore the remote possibility that you were the target and not Donna."

"Can we pack some things?" Rodney asked. "And can I take my laptop? I have grading to do..." He needed to hang on to something _normal_ in this mess.

"Yes on the packing, bring enough for at least two nights," Judie directed. "Pack up the laptop but I'll have to hold on to it for the moment. You'll get it back, just need to talk to the tech guys first. I'll have to have someone escort you to your rooms, though."

Rodney sighed. "I guess," he had to agree, although reluctantly. 

"I wasn't even going to stay last night," John tried to protest.

"You're in this now," Judie said firmly. not giving John any room to back out. "I'd really rather that you not fight what we need to do to keep everyone safe."

"I can throw some extra things in," Rodney offered. "It's the least I can do."

John shrugged, then winced. 

"Are you hurt?" Rodney demanded. "Oh my god, you aren't shot are you?" He moved closer to John and wanted to check him out but at the last minute realized that maybe it wasn't quite appropriate to touch him. Although that bad imp woke up for a moment and whispered descriptions of what it might be like to actually touch John. 

"No, no," John replied quickly. "Just, well, landed on my bad hip when I..." he nodded at the girls. 

"You idiot," Rodney scolded him. He went to the cabinet near the sink and got a bottle of ibuprofen. "Here, take the bottle." He got a glass of water and put it on the table. "Sit. Take 3 or 4 and rest."

A wan smile was Rodney's reward. John was opening the bottle as Rodney left the kitchen.

Donna and John stayed in the kitchen while Norah and Rodney gathered together clothing for the next couple of days. Rodney found some new t-shirts and boxers stashed in a drawer under the bed and added that to the bag he had. He grabbed an extra sweatshirt, sweatpants and then grabbed a handful of pain meds from the closet. 

He checked on Norah and found her dithering about what else to take with them. 

"Take a deck of cards and find the Yahtzee or something," Rodney suggested. "Not sure what we'll have for entertainment."

"Good idea," Norah grinned. She rooted through the bookcase against the far wall.

"Ready?" one of the Marshall's asked. 

Rodney handed him the bag with the laptop. "Take good care of that," he directed.

"Yes, sir," the man replied.

While they had been packing, two SUVs had been backed up to the door. 

"Okay," Judie said. "We won't all fit in one vehicle so Mr. McKay, you and Norah will be going with Marshalls Matias and Ronald." The man who had Rodney's computer bag nodded at them. "Donna and Mr. S will come with me and Marshall Knowlton. We'll meet up at the hotel."

"We'll be together?" Norah asked, worriedly.

"Yes," Judie replied. "While a group attracts attention, it's safer if I keep you together at this point. We still need to take statements and I'm going to rest easier if we can keep an eye on all of you."

"Okay," Norah said. She hugged Donna, "See you in a bit." Donna clutched at her.

"We gotta go, sweetie," Judie said. 

At that point, John came up to Donna and said, "Guess we're in this together."

Donna took his hand and they followed Judie out the back door.

Someone else had taken their bags out to the other vehicle but they didn't leave until the first vehicle was out of the drive way. 

"Okay, our turn," Matias said. 

The SUV had been as close to the house as possible, so that anyone watching from any distance would have a difficult time figuring out who was getting into which vehicle. As they crept down the driveway, Rodney looked back to see his house alight in the gloom. He wasn't sure if the bevy of police cars in the yard was scary or comforting.

Norah huddled close and held his hand during the drive. They drove around in a circle for over an hour before ending up in a Residence Inn that was really about twenty minutes from their house.

They drew up to a rear entrance, Matias stayed with the vehicle, Ronald got out to guide them to the door where yet another Marshall was waiting for them. "Someone will bring your bags up in a bit."

Rodney held Norah's hand as they hurried into the building and up the staircase to the second floor. They were guided down the hall to the opposite end of the building. Someone had to have been watching because the door opened as soon as they approached it.

Norah hurried over to Donna and the two girls embraced. 

"Not the best but it should do for now," Judie said. 

It was a two bedroom suite, almost an apartment. Rodney had been in a Residence Inn once on a consulting trip and the living room space was welcome. It was faintly crowded at the moment, with the four of them and another four Marshalls.

"Okay, let's get settled and then we can do the initial debriefing," Judie directed. "Don't open any of the curtains in any of the rooms. Don't answer the phone, if it rings. We'll deal with housekeeping. Clear?"

Everyone nodded.

Rodney looked at the two bedrooms and asked, "How should we do this?"

"The girls can have one room," John suggested. "I assume most of you won't really be sleeping here?" He looked at Judie who shrugged. He looked at Rodney, "Looks like you're stuck with me."

That bad imp was back, jumping up and down in glee on Rodney's shoulder. He told it sternly to stop, and said, he hoped, calmly, "Not a problem."

"That works," Judie agreed. 

Rodney took his bag to the bedroom and he saw the girls scamper off together.

He saw John hovering in the doorway and pointed to the bag, "Extra clothes and some pain meds that I better see you taking," he said. "Help yourself, don't know what we'll be doing for the next couple of days."

"Thanks," John said softly.

Rodney dug into the bag, "Brought your book." He handed John the book he had been reading the night before.

John took it with a small smile.

"Let's get started," Judie called.

Norah and Donna sat together on the couch, Rodney and John in the two armchairs. Judie took a chair from the kitchen table as did Matias.

"Okay, let's run through this from last night," Judie said. She patiently walked them through every step of the last two days. Matias took notes as Judie asked questions to keep them on track. Rodney gave them what contact information he had for Ghadir, Ronni and Kovit, but hoped they wouldn't have to involve the students. 

"Now tell me about this morning," Judie directed. She went through that even slower, getting them to recall their positions in the family room as the shooting happened.

At that point, John asked, "How about a break? And some food?"

She looked at her watch and said, "Sure. What does everyone like and I'll send someone out for food."

"Chinese!" Donna and Norah said almost in unison.

Judie laughed. "That okay with you?" She looked at Rodney and John.

"Something not too spicy," Rodney said, then grinned. "And shrimp fired rice."

"I'm easy," John said. "That's fine."

"Okay," Judie said and turned to Matias. "Get Knowlton to get a smattering of everything along with some sodas," she directed. "No one should notice anything since it's the holiday weekend."

"I gotta..." Rodney indicated the bathroom.

"Yeah," Judie said. "Take a break."

Norah and Donna went off to their room as Rodney used the bathroom. Matias busied himself making coffee from the complimentary package provided by the hotel.

"So, how'd you end up here?" Rodney heard Judie ask John. 

John sat back and looked at her steadily. It was a look Rodney hadn't seen but it looked good on him. The confidence illuminated another facet of John, one Rodney wanted to explore.

"The honest truth is total bad luck," John explained. "We met totally by accident last week. Rodney and I worked at the Thanksgiving dinner at the VFW Post. I was... well, Rodney thought I was working in the coat tent as a volunteer, and that's what we did. Then when it was dinner time, I didn't really know anyone else and we ate together. He was kind enough to invite me for dinner with him and Norah, and since I don't know a lot of other people in town, I decided to come."

"You said you hadn't planned to spend the night," Judie probed.

"I don't have a car, so I took the bus and then walked to the house," John said. "I had hoped for a ride back to the bus stop but Rodney's other guests left before I could ask. I was going to walk back but Rodney wouldn't let me and offered me a bed for the night. He indicated that he couldn't leave the girls otherwise he'd have taken me back to where I was staying."

"So you stayed." Judie urged him to continue.

"I stayed," John said softly. "It was... nice."

Rodney figured he'd better overtly come back into the room at this point. 

It wasn't too long before the food was delivered, and everyone dug in. Rodney watched John easily use the chopsticks provided. Norah and Donna demanded to know how he did that and John ended up giving impromptu lessons. Norah picked it up pretty readily and Donna managed to make it mostly work for her. Rodney had tried to use chopsticks years ago and never did it well, so he stuck to using a fork.

Everything that wasn't disposable went into the dishwasher in the end and Judie walked them through the morning one more time. 

"I'm not sure what else we can tell you," John pointed out when even Donna started to snarl at Judie. "How about we quit for the night?"

Judie held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, sorry," she apologized. "It's just so frustrating!"

"Think of how we feel," Rodney pointed out. "We're on your side. Don't forget that."

"Yeah," Judie agreed. "Okay, then. Matias and I will hang out here. We'll be taking turns so that at least one of us is here all the time but other Marshalls will come and go through the night. We have the rooms on either side of this one. When you go to bed, remember to keep the drapes closed. If you have any problems, shout out and we'll come running. Clear?"

Norah nodded, wide eyed. Donna was slightly more blase about this, she evidently had been through something like this before. 

"I'm gonna..." Donna pointed to the bedroom she and Norah were sharing. "I'm beat."

"Me, too," Norah seconded. 

"Come here, then," Rodney put in. Norah went over and threw her arms around him. He held on to her for a moment, dropping a kiss into her hair. "Sleep tight."

She squeezed back. "I will," then added. "You sleep, too!"

"Yeah, I will," Rodney said. He stood and went over to Donna and pulled her in for a hug. "I think you need a hug, too," he whispered, only for her.

She tightened her arms around him briefly. 

Norah grabbed sodas for herself and Donna and they said a general 'good night' to everyone.

Rodney felt himself yawning and admitted, "I'm beat. Gonna call it a night." He saw John hesitate and offered. "You can watch the tv, if you want. I'll just sleep through it."

"You sure?" John asked.

"Yeah," Rodney tried to be casual. 

Rodney took over the bathroom for a quick shower. He also figured that would give John a few minutes alone to settle in. Coming out of the bathroom, he saw that John had taken the opportunity to change into a clean t-shirt and pajama pants that rode a little low on his hips, being skinnier than Rodney. In fact, the skinniness that Rodney suspected last night showed clearly in the sleep clothes. 

John turned on the tv in the room to ESPN, finding a hockey game already in progress. 

Rodney crawled into the bed and turned off the lights. "If I snore, push me over," he warned John. "When I sleep on my back, it's the worst."

"Shouldn't be a problem," John said, settling in to the other side of the bed.

Rodney woke slowly, warm in a way that was very comfortable. It wasn't until he was more awake that he realized that he was wrapped around John. John was lax in his arms and seemed to be sleeping deeply. He was loathe to disturb the other man, decided to just give in to it and closed his eyes to try to fall back asleep.

Rodney must have dozed lightly because he felt John stir at some point. Rodney knew he was awake when he froze.

"Um... I can move," Rodney offered gently.

Silence. Then he felt John relax. "N-n-no," he stuttered. "It's... kinda nice."

Rodney relaxed even further. "Good," he breathed. "It's still dark, go back to sleep."

And they did.


	7. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And getting shot at means that someone has made someone nervous," John commented.

John lay in the bed, Rodney snoring gently in his ear, arm wrapped around John's waist. He was terrified... this felt too good to be true.

John knew he preferred men. He'd slept with women but always preferred a male partner. TPTB didn't give up on _Don't Ask/Don't Tell_ until he was in a hospital in Germany, recovering from his injuries. So he had been flying under the radar for a very long time.

He eased out of the bed, letting Rodney sleep on. He used the bathroom, dressed, took a couple ibuprophen for his hip, and went into the living room. Matias was there, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

"There's coffee, and pastries," Matias offered. "Milk and such in the fridge."

"Thanks," John said. He found a coffee cup in the cabinet and fixed it. He debated about the pastries and took one.

"Quiet night," Matias observed. 

"Good to hear," John said. "Any news on our sniper?"

Matias shrugged. "No one's told me anything. And I suspect the Marshall's office and the locals are in a pissing match about who has jurisdiction about all of this," he added. "That will slow everything down."

"And a holiday weekend," John added. Even in the middle of nowhere in the service, a US holiday would next to close the base down. Although no one ever thought to tell the Taliban it was a holiday, and a day of rest. 

"Geez, been so busy, Thanksgiving feels like it was a month ago," Matias replied. "Paper?"

"Sure," John said, taking the sports section. He settled in to read it over. He didn't get to see the paper regularly, even the $2 a day added up, so having the chance to read the paper was a treat.

Judie came in before anyone else was overtly up. There had been some noise in the girls' bedroom, but they hadn't come out yet.

"No news," she said before they could ask. "Is there coffee left?"

"Sure," Matias said. "And we can make more."

"Thanks," she said, going over to pour herself a cup. She came over to sit at the table.

John let her settle in for a moment before asking, "What can you tell me about whatever's going on? Seeing that I'm now in the middle of it and all."

She sighed. "Yeah, well, that's a mess," she admitted. She took a bite of pastry and chewed for a moment. "The good news is that you've checked out clean and while you're technically an innocent by-stander, you _are_ in the middle of it."

"Yeah." John tried to be encouraging.

"Donna's, obviously, under protection by the Marshall Service," she started. 

"Noticed that much," John had to grin.

"Donna's mom is the real person of interest here," she said. "About ten years ago, Donna's father was tied up in dealing drugs. He was killed by a... shall we say, business rival in a deal gone bad."

"Poor kid," John put in.

"Yeah," Judie said. "Well, you'd think Donna's mom would have learned something from that. She worked her way through a bunch of men, a couple of whom weren't interested in dealing with a little kid, although, putting it together, we think there was one that was a bit too interested, if you know what I mean. So Donna got shifted around, in and out of foster care a couple of times. Couple years ago, mom got religion, cleaned up her act and was doing pretty good."

"Good for Donna, anyway," John commented.

"Yeah," Judie said. "They moved out of the city and mom started dating someone she thought was a good guy."

"Oh, no," John groaned.

"Got it in one," Judie gave a small grin. "The newest guy has been running a meth lab out of a rental house just outside the city. We think he hoped to stay under the radar by generating small amounts of product out in the country. Well, mom figured out what was happening and reached out to me. She and I met when Donna's father was killed and we've kept somewhat in touch over the years. I was in the county Sheriff's office back then, and we worked it all out so I could work with Donna and her mom now. The locals appreciate the help and we're hoping the boyfriend takes us up the food chain to someone bigger."

"And getting shot at means that someone has made someone nervous," John commented. 

"Knew you were bright," Judie said.

"But why come after Donna?" John asked. 

"Leverage on mom," Judie said. "Or a totally amateur move, we're not quite sure which. Donna's mom was taken in protective custody last night until we can get the boyfriend in custody and see if we can get him to talk."

"There are a lot of _ifs_ there," John said.

"Yeah," Judie said, a level of disgust in her voice.

"What now?" John asked. 

"We have orders to sit tight for up to a week," Judie admitted. When she saw John's flinch, she added, "Yeah, I know. It won't be easy."

"A week?" John asked, trying to keep the nerves out of his voice. 

"Less if we catch a break," Judie was trying to be optimistic.

"How close are you?" John asked. "Really."

The optimism diminished. "Not very," she had to admit.

"And if you don't catch a break in a week?" John persisted.

"Then we'll re-evaluate," she said. "We may move Donna and her mom out of town to a different location."

"And the rest of us?" John asked.

She shifted, uneasily, but John had to give her credit for being honest. "We kick you loose. And have to hope you don't become collateral damage."

John sat back in his chair, not surprised by that answer. "That's not very encouraging, you know," he said.

"Sorry," she replied. "It's budget as much as anything."

"Been there," John said. _Budget_ had been the excuse for a lot of things they didn't get when he was overseas. 

The door to their bedroom opened and Rodney came into the living room. "Coffee?" He yawned.

"Help yourself," Matias offered. "In fact, finish it up and I'll make more."

Rodney wandered over to the coffee pot, emptying it into a mug. He grabbed a pastry and sat heavily at the table. Matias got up to make a fresh pot. "Whoa, I guess I was tired." He yawned again.

"Well, it has been an interesting 24 hours," Judie laughed.

"Oh, please," Rodney groaned. "Don't remind me." He took a sip of his coffee and ate his pastry. 

"Any sign of the girls?" Judie asked.

"Not yet," Matias answered. "Although I think they're up."

"What's going to happen now?" Rodney asked. 

"We have to lay low for a while," Judie told him. 

"How long is _a while_?" Rodney asked, frowning.

"Couple of days, no more than a week," she admitted.

"I have classes!" Rodney protested. "I just can't take a week off!"

"Sorry," Judie replied. "You'll have to call in sick for at least a couple of days. Monday and Tuesday, I think."

Rodney sighed. "Can I at least use my computer? If I can access the course management system, I can leave assignments and grade papers."

"We can have that set up for you by tomorrow," she said. "Will that do?"

"It'll have to," Rodney said. "Thanks, I guess."

John noted that Judie hadn't told Rodney anything about the week limitation. He'd talk to Rodney later about that when they were alone.

Norah and Donna came out at that point. 

"What's for breakfast?" Norah asked.

"Pastry?" Rodney offered.

"You have any cereal?" Donna asked. "Cheerios, oatmeal?" She looked around the kitchen.

"Instant oatmeal," Matias offered. 

"That'll do," she said. She went into the kitchen area and found a pot to boil water in. "Yeah, I know, the microwave is quicker, but this is better."

"I hear you," Matias agreed. "How about you make up a grocery list for a couple of days. I'll have someone pick stuff up for us."

"Okay," Norah replied. "How many should we plan for? Should we plan to feed you or just us?"

"I don't know about everyone else, but I eat enough fast food that any time I can get something homemade, I'll take it," Matias said.

"I suspect anything you make will get eaten," Judie laughed. "Figure you're cooking for like eight."

"Okay," Norah replied. She scoped out the fridge and found orange juice. 

John moved to the couch to let the girls have the table to eat their breakfast. Matias handed him the rest of the paper and John settled back to read through it. Since they weren't going anywhere, he might as well read all of it. It would be distracting for a bit, of nothing else.

He heard Norah and Donna debate about a grocery list. They sounded like they knew what they were doing, thinking through meals and what they'd need to prepare it. Donna rooted through the cabinets to see what kind of cookware the hotel provided and they added some disposable pans and paper products to the list.

Matias took the list and must have handed it off to someone else, since he came back in just a few minutes. 

Rodney turned the tv to ESPN to see what might be on. There was a sports talk show that John tuned out after a few minutes.

"Dad! Really?" Norah protested.

"What?" he asked back. "There's like nothing on tv on a Saturday morning."

"There's always a movie somewhere," Norah pointed out. "Give over the remote."

"Hey! There's like three tvs around here," Rodney replied, with a grin. "You can watch a movie in one of the bedrooms."

"That's no fun," she protested, sitting next to him on the couch. "Da-a-a-a-ad..." she sang.

Rodney sighed theatrically and handed over the remote. "Okay, okay," he said.

Norah leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Love you," she said softly.

He put an arm around her and hugged her to him. "Okay, okay, watch what you want." He thought for a moment. "No sappy chick flicks."

"Oh, dad!" Norah quickly flicked through the channels, finding _Mary Poppins_ on the Disney channel. "Okay?"

"I guess," Rodney tried to pout, but failed miserably.

They all watched the movie, the two girls singing along to most of the songs and trying to get everyone to join in to sing _Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious_. Norah had a reasonably good singing voice, and she and Donna harmonized well. 

John relaxed in the side chair, watching the girls dance and Rodney smiling at them. If he could ignore everything else around them, it would be a perfect day.

John did take a break from the movie at one point to go back to the bedroom to do some of the stretching exercises the physical therapist had given him. It should help with the low-level pain he still had and, if nothing else, it let him be alone for a few minutes.

He had just rejoined the group when there was a knock on the door to the corridor. Norah and Donna paused their debate over what to watch next. Matias moved to the door and looked through the peep-hole to see who was there. He opened the door to let Knowlton in with the groceries. He had used one of the hotel luggage carts to move the stack of food.

Norah and Donna went to the kitchen area to sort through the bags. They put the perishables in the fridge and the rest in the cabinets. They poked around in the kitchen for a bit, starting some lunch for everyone.

The rest of the day went the same. Norah dug out the cards she had packed and they all got into a -- relatively -- friendly game of hearts. Judie and Matias traded in and out of the room, taking a break or catching a nap in whatever other room the Marshalls had taken over nearby. There was lasagna with garlic bread for dinner and ice cream sundaes after.

Donna and Norah gave up first, saying good night and heading to bed. 

John and Rodney watched the news, commenting how odd it felt to be in the middle of the news that no one knew anything about.

John let Rodney go off to bed first, suddenly feeling unsure of whatever was happening between them. He took a deep breath, said good night to the Marshalls and went into the bedroom. He changed and slipped into the bed.

"Hey!" Rodney said softly.

John turned over to face him. "Hey," he replied.

"This is incredibly awful timing, I know," Rodney said. "Just... well..."

"Yeah," John answered. "I know."

"You don't mind, do you?" Rodney asked, with a thread of anxiety underlying the question. "I mean, with everything happening and all."

"No," John had to admit. "Just... unexpected."

Rodney snorted. "Don't I know it."

"We don't have to... anything," John flapped a hand.

"I'd like to," Rodney admitted. "Just... I never would have thought it would be like this."

The thought alone meant a lot to John. He leaned in for a quick kiss, which must have startled Rodney, who didn't react. John drew back.

"Wait," Rodney hissed. He placed a warm hand on the side of John's jaw and drew him in, giving John every chance to break free. John went with the gentle pressure and closed his eyes for a moment. 

This time, Rodney reacted. Soft kisses this time. Neither one of them wanted to push this too far or too fast and it was relatively chaste.

"I think we better sleep," Rodney sighed.

"Yeah," John said, not moving.

Rodney shifted slightly and pulled John in close. It was the last thing John remembered before falling asleep.


	8. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're thinking," John mumbled against Rodney's skin.

John was still asleep in his arms when Rodney woke. He suspected – hoped? – it was still the middle of the night and not yet morning.

It had been far too long since Rodney had slept with anyone. There had been the occasional one night stands when Norah was younger, but he had never met anyone he had wanted to bring into their lives.

Until now.

There was something about this man he barely knew… a connection that he never knew could even exist. It certainly hadn't been there with Helen.

"You're thinking," John mumbled against his skin. 

Rodney dropped a kiss on the top of John's head. "Yeah, sorry," he said softly.

"Good things?" John asked. Rodney could feel him tense up under his touch.

"A little scary, but, yes, good things," Rodney admitted. It had to be the right thing to say, since John relaxed against him.

They lay there, Rodney gently stroking the skin on John's back. 

John turned over so that they were lying chest to chest. John looked up at Rodney and moved his hand down Rodney's side, stopping at his hip. 

"Is this okay?" John asked softly.

Rodney murmured, "Definitely."

"We have to be quiet." He nodded to the door where Rodney was very aware of the Marshall – or worse, Marshalls – who would be awake a few feet away from them.

Rodney could only nod. He was suddenly so hard and he wanted so much….

John moved that hand to the waist of the sleep pants, lifting the elastic and reaching inside. A warm hand slid down Rodney's belly and instinct made him suck it in.

"Shhh…" John soothed. "Relax."

"Been too long…" Rodney gritted out, holding in the noises he really wanted to make.

John gave a grin and then leaned in for a soft kiss. "Don't worry. Me, too."

Rodney felt John's hand ghost over his cock for a moment, like he was figuring out where to start. But then John took his length in a firm grip. Rodney bucked up, the bed giving a loud groan. They both froze, wondering if that would draw any attention to them.

"Let me do the work," John murmured, not taking his hand away. 

Rodney bit back his own groan at that. He deliberately relaxed, focusing on his breathing.

"That's it," John said, moving his hand up and down Rodney's cock. 

Rodney could only focus on breathing as John whispered encouraging words that Rodney could not quite make out… the sensations running through his body overwhelmed everything else.

Suddenly, he was coming, harder than he had in a long time. He gritted his teeth to hold in the shout he wanted to give. 

He opened his eyes to see John's very pleased smile. Rodney drew him in for a long, messy kiss. When Rodney tried to reach down to reciprocate, John admitted, "You made me come when you did."

"That's officially the hottest thing I've ever heard of," Rodney grinned. 

"You're pretty hot all by yourself," John said, eyes crinkling in pleasure.

"Come here," Rodney held his arms open. "I'm not done with you yet."

John lay back down in Rodney's arms. Rodney ignored the mess in his sleep pants, he'd figure it out in the morning.

Although, when he woke again, he had forgotten how really gross and messy dried semen was. His sleep pants were stuck to him in what could be painful ways. But John was sound asleep against him and he would put up with the mess to wake up like this every day for the rest of his life.

He glanced at the bedside clock and was amazed that it was after 8 am. He normally didn't sleep this late and he suspected John didn't either. But even the faint pressure from his bladder wasn't going to make him move before he had to.

Rodney must have dozed because it was almost 9 before John moved. 

"Hey, sleepyhead," Rodney said gently.

John wriggled slightly, like he didn't want to even think about waking up. Then he tensed up.

"Hey," Rodney repeated. "I don't want to move either, but at some point they'll send a search party in for us."

John's head came up and he looked Rodney in the eye for a long moment. What he saw must have reassured him since he relaxed against Rodney's body.

"Come on," Rodney said. "I need to pee and take a shower before we go out there."

John said against Rodney's chest, "I haven't slept this well since… well, I don’t remember."

Rodney held him close for a moment, not knowing what to say but wanting to help.

Deciding that 'normal' was probably the best approach, he said, "Well, come on. Let's get dressed."

"You can go first," John offered.

"Up to you. It's big enough to share," Rodney said what he hoped was an encouraging but undemanding voice. "But I do have to pee."

"I'm fine," John said, rolling away slightly.

Rodney leaned in for a kiss. "Okay," he said.

He got up and grabbed clean clothes. Once in the bathroom, he realized the sleep pants were firmly stuck to what would be painful places just to rip away from, so he turned on the shower to soak everything. It took a few minutes and a couple of sharp pulls to get the pants off and he quickly washed up.

Finally getting to pee was something of a relief. He brushed his teeth and decided he could shave later.

He wrung out the sodden sleep pants as best as he could and wondered if they could get any laundry done at some point. The pants would dry but they probably wouldn't be pleasant to wear again until they were washed. 

John was still lying in the bed when Rodney came out. "I'll see if there's coffee," Rodney volunteered. "Take your time."

"Okay," John said.

Norah and Donna were already up and watching the television. 

"You never sleep in like that," Norah teased, coming over to give him a hug. "Morning."

"Morning," he echoed back. "Must be the change of mattress," he suggested.

"Must be," she said with a smile.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked.

"Someone's on a donut run," she reported, "and I'm going to make scrambled eggs and sausage."

"Coffee?" 

"Already made," she pointed. "Finish it off and we can make more."

"Thanks," he said.

He fixed himself a cup of coffee and poured a second when he heard John come out. He handed John the cup and fussed about, starting another pot. 

"I guess breakfast is under control," Rodney commented. "Which means we are to take our coffee and get out of the way."

"Sounds like a smart move," John replied with a small grin.

Matias came in with three boxes that must be the donuts. Three dozen donuts? That was a lot for even the group of them.

"You went to Paula's!" Donna enthused.

"Hey, only the best!" he replied. "I don't get there often myself, so I thought everyone would enjoy the treat."

"You're my hero!" she batted her eyes at him.

"Paula's?" John asked.

"Decadent, oversized donuts," Rodney explained. "Like donuts used to be when we were kids."

John's eyes lit up. "Hmm.... sounds interesting!" he said.

Breakfast was fun. The three boxes were actually two dozen donuts, which were more than enough for the eight of them. Rodney figured there most likely were other Marshalls in the hotel or nearby, but they evidently were on their own for meals.

By the time everything was organized from breakfast, it was almost noon. Being Sunday, at least there would be football on the tv today. 

Judie handed Rodney his laptop as they settled in. "You need to be careful who you talk to," she said. "Just tell your department you're sick and will be back in a couple of days."

"I can have my TA conduct class for a couple of days," Rodney had been thinking about options once he knew he wouldn't be getting out of here immediately. He knew Ghadir could handle the undergrad classes at this point in the semester. He had already taught most of the course content and his students were working on drawing projects. He'd have to figure out what to do with his grad students, most of whom needed more feedback than Ghadir was able to give.

"No one else," Judie directed.

"You better let Norah call her grandparents at some point," Rodney said. "They were out of town with friends for Thanksgiving but they tend to call on Sundays. We try to let them know when we'll be away so they don't worry."

"I'll get a clean phone for that," Judie said. "Good to know."

"Any chance we can get the paper?" John asked.

"Good idea," Rodney endorsed the suggestion. 

"Sure," Judie agreed.

The paper arrived about the time the early game started. The Buffalo Bills were playing a home game but had sold out, so that the game was on tv. Judie and Matias swapped in and out a couple of times during the losing effort. 

"Being a Bills fan is a faintly hopeless endeavor," Rodney explained. "They get so-o-o-o close and then... nothing. It's not for the faint of heart."

John teased, "Always been a Miami fan."

Rodney looked at him in horror and dramatically put his hand on his heart. "Say it ain't so!"

John shrugged. "Nah," he laughed. 

"Phew," Rodney said. "That would have been a deal breaker."

John looked at him with a fond look and Rodney caught himself grinning what was probably a goofy grin at the other man.

"Dad?" Norah asked, startling Rodney.

"Yeah, sweetie?" Rodney replied.

"What do I tell Grandma?" she said, waving the phone Judie had evidently given to her at some point.

"Mostly the truth," John put in. "There were some problems at the house -- the electric went out, you're in a hotel for the weekend and you forgot the charger for your phone and you're using Donna's phone to call them. You can't talk too long since Donna's running out of minutes for the month."

They looked at him and he shrugged. "The fewer lies you have to tell, the easier it is to keep everything straight," he explained.

"That's pretty good," Rodney admitted.

"I can do that," Norah said. "Thanks!"

Norah sat on the couch next to Rodney to make the call. It went just as John had described. Norah was her normal cheery self, apologized for not calling earlier and promised to call again as soon as the problems at the house were resolved.

"Grandma says we're welcome there," Norah reported. "But she understands about school. Just told me to tell you."

The older Norah got, the better Rodney's relationship with his in-laws had gotten. They were happy with how he had managed their granddaughter, and time had mellowed everyone. The offer to stay with them was an honest one, something that would not have been true when Norah was a small baby.

"And, speaking of school, did you have any homework that needed to be done?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "There's a test tomorrow in math that I would have gotten a 100 on, even without studying. I've already written the report for English on Othello. There's a history report that I was going to finish up on Saturday but I need my textbook and internet access. I need to work on my science fair project, but that's not due for another week. I have some of the things I need, just need to work on it."

"What are you doing?" John asked. "For the science fair."

"It's for Earth Science and one of the section is on earthquakes," she explained. "Donna and I are doing a joint project on the difference between p-waves and s-waves as they travel through solids. I have the p-waves and Donna's going to do the s-waves."

"What did you think you'd do?" John leaned forward.

"I thought we'd get some really firm gelatin," Donna explained. "We'd demonstrate the different types of waves with the gelatin. It will let us demonstrate both the compression involved in the p-waves and the shear possible in the s-waves."

"That's a good project," John replied. 

"We thought so," Norah replied with a smile.

They more-or-less watched the late afternoon football game. Philadelphia versus Tampa Bay was a closer game than anyone would have suspected but Philly held out to the end. 

Norah and Donna made hamburger casserole for dinner. It was comfort food at its best, warm, cheesy and filling.

After dinner, Rodney worked on some of his coursework while the night football game played in the background. He corrected another set of papers and left directions for Ghadir to deal with classes for the next two days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the good news is that you get two chapters in two days! \o/
> 
> The bad news is that I'm traveling tomorrow (on vacation.. yay!) but I realized I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have over the next week... poo on that! So the next set of updates may not be every other day... but they will get posted eventually!


	9. Gloomy Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John knew the look on Judie's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from vacation and vacation-brains! Regular posting will now commence!

John knew the look on Judie's face. He had seen that look before and something was wrong. Something really big was really wrong.

Monday morning had dawned gray, although Rodney dismissed the overcast sky as 'normal Buffalo weather.' John would have to think about that, he liked warmer and sunnier for the most part. But, like the guys in his unit had told him, the people in Buffalo really were the best. He had the evidence right here.

They had stayed up late watching movies on tv. After the late football game, which was so bad that almost everyone ignored in favor of school related work, no one was quite ready to go to sleep, so it became movie night. During the game, Rodney had corrected papers and updated notes for all of his classes. John had fun working with Norah and Donna, sketching out their science project. 

Norah and Donna again had wrested control of the remote from Rodney -- who didn't protest too much in the end -- and found "White Christmas" on AMC. After that, was the original "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" -- John loved Gene Wilder in this role. 

"Holiday weekends have the best movies," Norah enthused. 

"They do," Rodney agreed.

"Is there any popcorn left?" Donna asked.

"You can't still be hungry!" Rodney protested as he laughed. "We've eaten like a bazillion bags of popcorn!"

Donna went slightly red but held fast. "Come on, we've done nothing but eat for what feels like a week. Why stop now?" She did snicker at that.

"You're on your own," Rodney waved one hand while rubbing his stomach with the other. "If there's any left, it's all yours."

"Good!" Donna went to the kitchen to root around for more popcorn. A satisfied noise from the other end of the room told John that she had found another bag of popcorn. The noise of popping corn drifted into the room. She came back with a bowl and dropped on the couch next to Norah.

"What are we watching now?" she asked.

"We have a choice between _Hellfighters_ \-- which is an old John Wayne movie, and _The Thomas Crown Affair_ ," Rodney reported.

"The original or the remake?" John asked.

"The remake," Rodney replied. "The one with Pierce Brosnan."

"The remake was better," John offered. "It had a better ending."

"We'll have to do a comparison some day," Rodney said.

"We can watch it, if you want," Norah offered.

John shrugged. "Either is fine with me," he said. "I like Hellfighters, it's classic John Wayne."

"I've never seen that one," Donna said.

"Hellfighters it is," Rodney said. He turned the channel to the movie.

It had been really late -- or really early morning when they decided to give up and go to bed. Everyone was yawning as they called it a night. Judie had been there for the first of the movies but she had swapped out with Matias by the time they got to the John Wayne movie. Matias bade them goodnight.

As a result, it was late morning before they got up. John had spent the night tangled with Rodney in the bed, but they only exchanged lazy kisses before getting out of bed. John had not had the luxury of simply kissing someone he had slept with in a very long time. He had almost been another person then...

Norah and Donna were still sleeping, based on the silence behind their closed door, so he and Rodney were on their own for breakfast. Coffee and toast was more than enough after all the popcorn they had eaten while watching the movies. Matias had left them the morning paper, so John and Rodney read through the various sections, trading as they finished.

Judie was with them when her phone rang. After a few sharp words, she got up and went into the hall. John could hear her worried voice through the door.

When she came back, she had that look on her face. She hesitated, looking at the closed door of the girl's bedroom.

"How bad?" John asked.

She started, then looked at him. 

He shrugged. "Been there, done that," he said. "Giving bad news and getting it."

She sighed. "Pretty bad," she admitted.

"Should we get the girls up?" Rodney asked, looking between the two of them.

"Yeah," she said, resignation and worry in her voice. 

"I'll do it," Rodney said. He got up and tapped on the door.

"Norah?" Rodney called through the closed door. "Need to talk to you."

Muffled sounds on the other side and then a "come in" in Norah's voice.

Rodney went into the room and closed the door behind himself. He came out shortly and said, "Give them a minute."

Norah and Donna came out in their pajamas, both looking confused.

"Sit down, please," Judie said softly. 

"Judie?" Donna asked, a note of fear in her voice.

Judie went over to Donna and wrapped her arms around the teenager. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she said. "Your mom slipped out of the safe house last night," she recounted. "We don't know why yet, but she went out to meet Doug." She pulled Donna in closer. "They found her this morning. I'm sorry, sweetie, but she's gone."

Donna stilled for a moment before giving a pained gasp. She then all but collapsed in tears in Judie's arms. Norah rushed over to hold on to Donna from the other side.

John suspected there was more to the story but the focus right now was Donna. He put a hand on Rodney's shoulder and drew him away from the tableau on the couch. 

"Let them be for a bit," he murmured in Rodney's ear. "Give Donna a chance to breathe."

He could see the frustration in Rodney's body language. His shoulders were tense and his hands opened and closed, like he wanted to grab on to something. After a moment's resistance, Rodney moved with him.

There weren't many options in the small space but they moved back to the kitchen table and settled in to wait. John fussed over coffee, just for something to do. He waited for the pot to finish and poured Rodney a cup.

"Thanks," Rodney said softly.

John thought Judie was murmuring mostly nonsense into Donna's ear. It was a soothing noise as much as anything else. 

It took almost half an hour before Donna settled down. Norah took charge then and drew Donna into the their room. 

Judie got up and looked at them seriously. "I know it's not pleasant, but thank you for cooperating with everything," she said. She sat down heavily at the table. "I'm so glad that was none of you."

"You should have brought her here," Rodney said belligerently.

She sighed. "We seriously considered that," she admitted. "But I knew her well enough that I was afraid she'd not only try to get away from the protective custody, but that she'd take Donna with her. Either way, it was a risk."

"Oh," Rodney replied, taken aback. He hadn't considered that. John know Rodney was a 'good guy' -- he'd listen to the Marshalls and follow their directions with few questions. Donna's mom had enough experience with law enforcement to not always want to believe what she was told.

"What do we need to know?" John asked to draw the conversation back to the practical.

"I need to put a media black out on for you for probably 24 hours," she said. "No tv and no computers, I'm afraid. The local media have hold of this and... it's not pretty."

Rodney went white at that. "Okay, we can help," he said firmly.

"Will your in-laws recognize the name?" John asked.

"Oh, god, yes," Rodney answered with a grimace. "Donna's spent time with them, Norah's birthday and a couple of school holidays."

"And when they can't reach you..." John let the thought dangle.

"Oh, fuck," Judie swore. "Sorry. Okay, let me think on that for a minute." She looked at John. "What else?"

"I'm assuming there are things you don't want to tell us with Donna so close by," John observed.

Judie nodded.

"Get a doc to give you some mild sleeping pills," John suggested. "Something slightly stronger than the over-the-counter stuff. Just for a couple of nights. She's going to sleep badly for a couple of days anyway, so I suspect she won't fight you too much on that."

"What about Norah?" Judie looked at Rodney.

He sighed. "I don't like it, but she'd take them at least one night if I asked."

"Reasonable suggestion," Judie said. "And I think we can allow Norah to have the option. The girls are attached enough to want to help each other. Donna will need her friend in the coming weeks."

"What will happen to Donna?" Rodney asked. 

"She's under eighteen. Child services will be called, once we know if she's in any more danger or not," Judie said. 

"She can stay with us," Rodney offered without hesitation. "Norah would love to have her and she's a good kid."

Judie considered the offer. "It's actually as reasonable as anything. There's rarely any good placements for a teenage girl, anyway, especially a good kid like Donna. Keeping her somewhere familiar would be the best. I'll make that the official recommendation."

"You should tell her that as soon as you have a good opening," John advised. "She'll appreciate knowing where she's going to land."

Judie looked at him. "Been there, done that?" she asked, with a question in her eyes.

John gave his own sigh. "One of the things I did in Afghanistan," he admitted. "Worked with wounded soldiers as they were evac'd out. Knowing where they were going next and that they had a safe place to go helped relieve some of the worries."

"You seem to have a pretty wide skill set, Major," Judie observed.

"I... yeah," John had to admit. "And anything more than that is classified."

"There were a lot of _classified_ things in your jacket," Judie grinned. "But once we pulled your file, someone higher up in the military called someone higher up in my department and vouched for you. Someone likes you."

John fought the blush. "Good to know," he mumbled, taking a drink of coffee to hide the embarrassment.

John wondered who that might be, that 'higher up' person who had vouched for him. Most of his immediate superior officers had been glad to see him go, but there had been this one full bird Colonel... he shook off the thought. The mission with that officer had been so classified that he suspected he wasn't allowed to talk to himself about it.

Norah and Donna came out of their room, Donna looking understandably wan but more composed than she had been before. They both had obviously cleaned up and dressed.

"Now what?" Norah asked.

"We wait," Judie said. "No tv or computers for a bit, either, I'm afraid." She looked at Rodney. "How about I get Matias to come back and you can come with me."

"Sure," Rodney replied.

John stood up. "You ladies have been doing all the work, I can at least offer some breakfast."

"Not sure I can eat anything," Donna said glumly.

"Scrambled eggs and toast," John said firmly. "You don't have to eat any if you don't want, but, honestly, it's about what I can do in the kitchen anyways."

"Okay," she said, not looking up.

Matias came in and Judie left with Rodney. John assumed that Judie wanted Rodney to call his in-laws from another room. He started in on the toast and eggs and put everything on the table. Norah had gotten the orange juice out and also some butter and jelly.

The two girls poked at the food quietly, eating some of the eggs and most of a slice of toast each. John wasn't worried about Donna at this point. They had eaten plenty last night, and this meal was mostly to keep busy. There was a long day ahead of them and, without the tv, it would be even longer.

Rodney came back as they were finishing up. He looked grim as he came in the door but John could see the conscious effort to lighten his mood. If John hadn't been facing the door, he would have missed it.

Norah looked at him inquiringly.

"Had to call your grandparents," Rodney told them. "They were worried, but they know we're all okay."

He had obviously cleared that much with Judie. John knew that Rodney would insist on being able to tell Norah _something_.

Norah gave a tight nod, understanding that was probably all he could tell her for now.

"Can.. can Donna stay with us?" Norah asked, eyes pleading.

"No problem," Rodney said firmly. "I've already offered, so she can stay with us and Judie's going to work on getting it to happen."

Both Norah and Donna sighed in relief at that. 

"There may be some things we can't avoid," Rodney warned them both. "But we'll do what we can. And Donna's welcome to stay as long as she wants."

She gave a small smile. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Now, since we can't watch tv, how about you find that deck of cards from the other day?" John put in. "Otherwise, we'll be stir crazy before... dinner." It was already after noon, since they had slept in late.

"Okay," Norah agreed. Donna didn't look terribly interested but went along with the others. 

They played Hearts again. Both of the girls were good enough card players that there was no 'letting' anyone win, which helped keep things somewhat normal for a couple of hours. Judie and Matias quietly wandered in and out, not joining the game, just watching.

As it got close to dinner time, Rodney looked at Matias and asked, "I don't think we're up for cooking tonight. Any chance we can get... pizza?" The question was directed mostly at the others at the table. "Or something else?"

"Pizza's fine," Norah answered. Donna just shrugged.

"Fine by me," John added.

They ended up ordering a basic cheese and pepperoni, as well as a veggie pizza. Matias called someone else to call in the order for them.

"Gonna, umm..." Donna pointed at the room.

"Time for a break anyway," Rodney declared. "Hopefully, the food won't be too long."

"Not going anywhere," John said. 

Everyone took a small stretch, using the bathroom and washing up. Norah got out plates and paper towels.

The break let John do a few minutes of stretching exercises. 

Rodney asked as he came into their room, "You okay?"

"Yeah," John said. "Something I need to do regularly, and I'll have to call into my PT to reschedule an appointment tomorrow. But I've been taking the ibuprofen and it's been helping."

Rodney nodded. "Good!"

Someone had added to their order, since there were bread sticks and an antipasto to go with the pizzas. There was too much food but they dug in and everyone had some of everything. 

"Ohhh... I ate too much," Norah rubbed her belly.

"It was good," John countered.

"Okay, it was," she allowed.

They packed up the leftovers and put them in the fridge. The pizza went into the freezer for the moment, since the fridge was getting relatively full.

After they cleaned up, they played a couple more rounds of Hearts, since it was too early to go to sleep. 

Judie came in at one point with a small bottle that she handed to Rodney. "I'm going to let you handle these," she said.

Rodney looked at John for guidance.

"Sleeping pills," John explained. "Low dose and," he reached over and took the bottle from Rodney and shook it, "only for a couple of nights. So there's no chance to become used to them. But you'll sleep better."

"And there's enough for both of you, if you want," Rodney said.

"You'll need a good night's sleep," John told Donna. "We want you to take one tonight. We'll talk about tomorrow night, tomorrow." He looked at Norah. "We don't want you up all night, you'll lie awake worrying. Again, we'll talk about tomorrow night, tomorrow."

"Yes, please," Donna said. "I've been... worried. And... it will help."

"One night will be okay," Norah agreed. 

Rodney handed them each one pill and they downed the pills. 

Another round of cards saw both girls yawning. 

"Okay, off to bed," Rodney directed. "The pills will kick in and you should sleep through to morning."

"You won't go anywhere?" Donna asked.

"Not going anywhere at all," Rodney promised. As the girls got up, Rodney got up and gave each of them a firm hug.

The girls went to bed. John and Rodney were sitting up, waiting for Judie to come back.

She sat down on the couch. "They're asleep?"

"Should be," John said. "They took the sleeping pills and we kept them up for another hour. They were pretty sleepy by the time they went to bed."

Judie sighed. "The good news is that we can put a good word in for you to take custody of Donna," she told Rodney. "The fact that you're here with her now, and that you have an interest is taking her is in your favor. That combination of factors should mean that she can stay with you, after all this is over."

"That's good to know," Rodney said.

"What happened?" John asked.


	10. Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Why would she do that?" Rodney asked, obviously frustrated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting early, for RavenOceana who bribed me with virtual cookies... ;-)

Judie fiddled with the coffee she had poured for herself.

"Donna's mother slipped out of the protective custody last night," Judie said. "We had her in another hotel, across town. She had been cooperating and pretty subdued, so no one checked on her during the night. The best we can figure is that she slipped out the window of the hotel room between 1 and 3 am. She went back to her apartment and called the boyfriend, Doug. We have the phone records for that, she called at 3:15 am. She obviously set up a meeting with him."

"Why would she do that?" Rodney asked, obviously frustrated. "What was she thinking?"

"She obviously wasn't thinking," Judie sighed. "She left a note that thought she knew where there would be solid evidence against Doug and wanted to bring it to us." She hesitated. "She left a note for Donna."

"Did someone read that?" John asked, grimacing.

She nodded. "There's nothing for us," she admitted. "It's begging Donna to forgive her for all the mistakes she's made and she hopes she can make it up to her. She does, however, say that if anything happens to her, to ask if she can stay with you. That will go a long way to giving weight to your request to keep Donna with you."

"One good thing," Rodney muttered, sadly.

"Doug is using a series of burner phones, so we figure he's dumped the phone she called by now," Judie went on. "But the neighbors remember a car in the middle of the night. The one neighbor works in the bakery at Wegmans. He starts at 4 am, so he saw a car come up to the house and beep once about 3:30 am. He didn't pay much more attention than that, so he has no idea who was there and who really came out of the house."

"Did Donna's mom leave anything in the house?" John asked.

"We're going through the house with a fine tooth comb right now," Judie said. "We're hoping she left us something before she went out again but we haven't found it."

"And.." Rodney prompted her.

"We found her body at the old Phole Brothers Waste site," Judie said softly. "She had been beaten up, pretty badly, and then shot."

"Ouch," Rodney muttered.

"We have a rush on the autopsy," Judie said. "We're hoping to get some forensics on the bullet. Doug's really a small-time dealer, and we're hoping he's screwed up and used a weapon we can trace. If Doug's contacts were involved, and we don't think there was time for that, then we may be out of luck. They'd know enough to use a disposable weapon."

"Since the body was pretty much in the open," Judie went on, "that's how the media got involved. A citizen called 911 but then also called Channel 4 to report a possible body. By the time the locals contacted us, it was already on the news. I'm going to do a special beat down on whomever released her name to the press. That should not have gotten out there so fast."

"Unless it was Doug," John suggested.

"We've considered that," Judie replied. "It would serve as a message to some of the other people Doug's involved with. But that's only speculation at this point. We won't know anything until we pick up Doug."

"How close are you to finding him?" Rodney asked.

"We have some leads, which is all I can tell you," Judie said.

"What danger are we in? Especially Donna?" John persued the thought.

Judie shrugged. "Until we catch Doug, then Donna's probably a high value target," Judie said reluctantly. "Doug doesn't know what her mom would have told her and, until we catch him, we need to keep her in custody."

"And us?" Rodney asked.

Judie glanced at John but replied, "Until now, you were just collateral damage, Another couple of days and we would've had to kick you loose. Now, you're more important as at technical guardian for Donna."

"Kick us loose?" Rodney squeaked."What about Donna?"

"Sorry, mostly budget," she said, shrugging. "Keeping a detail on four people for more than a couple of days gets really expensive. We would have moved Donna with her mom and moved them to another location altogether, if we didn't get anywhere by Friday."

There really was nothing to say at that point.

"Are you going to give Donna the letter?" John asked.

"I can get her a copy tomorrow," Judie said. "The original is in evidence but we should be able to get that out eventually. Sometimes the family wants that sort of thing, sometimes they don't."

"I think Donna will want it," Rodney offered. "She and her mom have been through a lot together and the last couple of years have been pretty good for them. So she'll have some happy memories that she'll want to keep."

"I also need to show her the letter in case there's a clue in there that we missed," Judie added. "It looks benign, but only Donna will know if there's anything else."

"In the morning," Rodney said firmly.

"Yeah, I'm trying to balance being sensitive with pushing the search for Doug forward," Judie said. "The more time that elapses, the bigger head start he can get."

"Lovely thought," Rodney replied glumly.

"After breakfast tomorrow, can we get some clean sheets and towels?" John asked. "I know you don't want housekeeping in here, but even doing some of our own cleaning will help pass some time. And, well, we can stand to get some laundry done. Clean clothes would be appreciated. There should be a laundry here."

"Good idea," Judie said. "Someone else can get the bedding and towels. We'll scope out the laundry and see if it's secure enough to do it here or if we should take it out. Going out has the advantage of doing it all at one time."

"Probably only a couple of loads," Rodney observed. "John's and my stuff is probably one load and the girls will have another. Don't have to do it all at once. Don't know what you-all need."

"I have to get back to you on that," she said. 

"Borrow a cart from housekeeping," John suggested. "We can make this the cleanest hotel room in all of Buffalo if we have the supplies."

"Probably another grocery run, too," Rodney added. "We can make menus for another couple of days and send someone out for that, too."

"Why can't all my witnesses be like you guys? Cooking _and_ cleaning?" Judie grinned. "You're going to be a hard act to follow."

"Anything else we should know?" John asked.

"Nothing that I can tell you at this point," Judie admitted.

"Then we'll call it a night, too," Rodney said, yawning as he got up. 

"I'll be there in a minute," John said. 

John let Rodney get into the room and then asked quietly, "Okay, I know you can be discreet. How would it affect his ability to take Donna if he and I are... involved?" He worked hard not to blush.

Judie's eyes narrowed in consideration. "To be honest, I'm going to have to say not good. Buffalo is a small town in many ways, and for all the celebrations about gay marriage and equal rights, there are a lot of homophobic people around here," she said slowly. "Two gay men living with two teenage girls?" She shrugged. "That's asking for trouble."

"But just Rodney?" John persisted.

"That's easy," Judie replied with a rueful grin. "Widowed dad takes in daughter's best friend. There's no question about that."

"Umm... don't tell Rodney I asked?" John requested softly. 

"Sure," she agreed. "But you should tell him yourself."

John looked down for a moment and then back up into her concerned gaze. "Yeah, I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look! The chapter count just went up! ::grin::


	11. Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I never said it was simple, I never said it was fair."

Rodney looked up as John came into their room.

"What was that about?" he asked.

John shrugged. He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I needed to know how I fit into all of this," he said. He waved a hand vaguely in a way that could mean anything.

"You're... you!" Rodney protested.

John sat heavily on the side of the bed. "I'm a complication," he pointed out. "I'm not family, I'm not anything."

"But... " Rodney sputtered. 

John took one of Rodney's hand in his. "And... I won't work in your favor as you're trying to get custody of Donna."

"That's not fair!" Rodney exclaimed. He rubbed one thumb gently over the back of John's hand.

"I never said it was simple, I never said it was fair," John chanted in a slightly sing-song tone. He grinned. "A life lesson I learned a long time ago."

"But... we..." Rodney blushed. "I don't want you to have to go," he said softly.

"I know," John admitted. "I don't want to go. But, we have to think of Donna."

"You're a war hero!" Rodney said. "That should help."

"For about 30 seconds," John said grimly. "They'll forget that and only see us as two gay men. It doesn't play well in Peoria. Or in Buffalo."

"I don't care," Rodney said heatedly.

"You have to think of Donna," John said firmly. "She -- and Norah -- have to be the first things we think of. You and I... we don't even make the list."

"I'm really sorry," Rodney said, softly. "I don't know what to do."

"We appreciate what we have here," John said. "And when the Marshalls kick us loose, I have to go."

"No!" Rodney knew his protest was futile. He gripped John's hand. "I don't want you to go."

"Not forever," John countered. "Until things blow over."

"That can take ages," Rodney whined. "If Donna's mom's murder goes to trial, it could be _years_."

"Well, maybe we won't have to wait that long," John suggested. "Just until you have clear custody of Donna and things have settled down."

"I suppose," Rodney groused.

"Not going anywhere now," John gave a small smile.

Rodney looked up at him with clear appreciation in his eyes. "There is that," he smiled also. Then leaned in to kiss John.

John wrapped an arm around Rodney and pulled him down on the bed.

They took their time... peeling the clothes off of each other, one piece at a time until they were both naked.

Rodney lightly touched the scar that ran over John's hip and down his leg. "Does this still hurt?" he asked. "It looks... fresh."

"I had to have surgery -- the rest is a long story," John exclaimed. "It's healing well, they tell me, but it's still sensitive."

Rodney ghosted a hand over the healed scar. "I haven't done properly this in so long..." he whispered against John's lips.

"We'll figure it out," John murmured.

Neither man wanted this to end too soon. Tonight -- and what few nights they would have -- were precious. They both wanted to make memories that they could hold on to.

They took their time. Touching, tasting... only a few words were exchanged. 

Laying wrapped about each other sated, they exchanged lazy kisses. 

"I don't want you to ever go," Rodney whispered. "But thank you for thinking of Donna and Norah first. That's the only thing that's going to get me through you leaving us."

"What do we tell them?" John asked, hesitantly.

"The truth," Rodney said without hesitation. "They're old enough to be told."

"They won't like it either," John pointed out.

"Then we can all be miserable together," Rodney said with a small grin. "They'll be so busy trying to cheer me up, that it will distract them from their own problems."

"Good idea," John said.

"What about you?" Rodney asked. "What will you do?"

John shrugged. "Not sure yet," he replied.

A brief hesitation and Rodney offered, "I'd like to introduce you to Norah's grandparents. They're... well, they are who they are. But, I've come to appreciate where they are coming from, it's how they were raised and no one ever challenged them. They mean well, even if they don't quite express it properly."

"I don't want to add to your problems," John protested.

"It will give them something to do," Rodney was honest. "I'll have my hands full with the girls, you'll be helping me out if you deal with them. It doesn't have to be a lot, just something..."

"Makes sense," John admitted. Then yawned.

"Sleep," Rodney directed. He dropped a kiss on the top of John's head.

A tap at the door woke them. Light was shining around the edge of the drapes.

Matias called, "Breakfast in twenty!"

"Thanks!" John replied sleepily.

"Don wanna move," Rodney mumbled.

"Then stay here," John directed. "No reason to get up."

"No, if there's breakfast, the girls are up," Rodney said. "Should get up." But he didn't move.

John sighed, then moved away. He grabbed what was left of his clean clothes and padded to the bathroom. Rodney came in a few minutes later.

They worked around each other, sharing the sink and the shower casually. Like they had done it together forever.

They came out to find breakfast just about ready. Norah and Donna were working at the stove.

"Smells good," Rodney said cheerily.

"Morning!" Norah and Donna chorused. 

They could see that the girls were determinedly cheerful. There would be more tears at some point, Rodney knew, but he took the determination as a good sign.

Judie had commandeered a cleaning cart for them, so everyone set to working at cleaning up after themselves. The clean sheets and clean towels were appreciated all around. John kept some extra towels for all of them, as well as an extra set of sheets.

"Gross!" Norah squealed at one point. 

Rodney poked his head in to see what she was doing. The vent to the ceiling fan in the bathroom evidently could be snapped off with some minor pressure, and she was looking at the accumulation of dust and hair on the inside of the vent. The outside had been decent, but the inside really was gross.

"Glad there were gloves in that cart," Rodney put in. John had handed them out to everyone when he found them, and now Rodney was eternally grateful that he put them on.

"Yeah, makes you want to clean your own house," John observed. "Although folk who clean up in hotels really earn their money, I always thought. We're pretty clean people to begin with, but I'm also suspecting we're the exception rather than the rule. Cleaning up after someone who's just a slob isn't fun, much less after someone who's been sick and can't help it."

"Never really thought about it," Donna admitted. 

John knew there was a life lesson there, for both girls. They were both bright enough to be going to college without a second thought. But to remember that there were people who did work like housekeeping in a hotel for minimum wage, that would make them better people.

They all spent a couple of hours cleaning the suite. They dug deeper than the space really needed, but, as they had figured, it kept everyone busy and not thinking about what was going on outside of their three rooms.

The next task was a shopping list. Judie suggested that they plan for two days at a time. Rodney made sure there were some snacks and comfort food on the list. By now they were all entitled to some mindless snacking, he figured.

Judie passed the grocery list off to someone else to do the shopping for them.

"Laundry?" John asked.

"Since you're pretty much an unknown, and the laundry is on this floor," she replied, "you and Matias can do the laundry."

"It really is two medium sized loads," John told her. "We don't have to hang out there too much."

"I'll hold you to that," she said. "And don't wander off alone."

"Yes, ma'am," John sketched a salute.

John and Matias went back and forth a couple of times taking care of the laundry. It took about three hours elapsed time to finish up. He did Norah's and Donna's load first, knowing they'd want to iron some of their things. So the sooner he got their clothes back to them, the sooner they could be kept busy.

Dinner was an excellent ham and scalloped potato casserole. Matias took a couple of platefuls out to the others in the guard party. 

Judie sat down with them after dinner.

"At this point, we have some leads on Doug that we're working on," she told them. "Hopefully, we'll know something in the next day or so. On the other hand, I can lift the media blackout. Try to not watch the local news station, mostly so you won't be upset by some of the stories they tell or the images they may show. No newspapers until we look them over, again for the same reason."

"Can I have my computer?" Rodney asked. "If I can do some classwork, that would be helpful."

"Just for you," she said. "And if you can stick to classwork, that will be easier. Don't go looking for trouble."

"I can do that," Rodney promised.

She brought the laptop back and Rodney immersed himself in catching up with as much of his course work as he could. He ignored the movie the rest of them watched to be able to correct papers and prepare material for his students. Norah and Donna took another sleeping pill and went off to bed. John watched a Yankee's Classic baseball game, mostly to stay awake to keep Rodney company.

Rodney shut down the computer well after midnight and handed it off to Matias for safe keeping.   
In bed together, Rodney said, "How am I going to do this without you?"

"I've been thinking about that," John admitted. "I think we can keep in touch. Like.. talk, and things like that."

Rodney ran his hand over John's arm, touching bare skin as John leaned into the touch. "But... not this."

"No," John said. 

"I have to think about Donna and Norah," Rodney said. "It's the only thing that will keep me sane."

"In the meantime," John said, against his lips, "let's think about us."

"I can do that," Rodney agreed.


	12. Wednesday and Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having access to the tv made the day go somewhat faster, although daytime tv was still pretty bleak.

The next morning, Matias was still in the room, Judie evidently among the missing.

Having access to the tv made the day go somewhat faster, although daytime tv was still pretty bleak. They were usually busy with other things during the day and weekday tv was pretty much a foreign land to all of them. John found an 'oldies' channel with westerns and other shows from the early 60's that the girls had never seen. They had fun mocking the stories, and the clothes, of those older shows.

John didn't dare hope that Judie's absence meant anything significant. In any case, it would be a good news - bad news sort of thing. Good news would mean their stay in this hotel room would be over. The bad news would mean that their stay in this hotel room would be over. He felt like he lost, either way.

They spent the day alternately watching tv and playing cards. Norah and Donna cooked meals and the snack food was welcome. 

Nighttime was the bright spot for both him and Rodney. They got to be alone... together. 

The next day started the same. Then, Judie came in at lunchtime, obviously tired and needing sleep.

Norah handed her a plate of the spaghetti they were all enjoying. Everyone else's meal was forgotten in hopes of news, and they watched her eat. Judie ate for a moment, obviously enjoying a hot meal.

"Okay," she said with a grin. "There's good news and good news."

"Start with the good news," Rodney waved a hand.

"We have Doug," Judie said. The relief was palpable.

"And the good news?" Rodney prompted.

"Doug's admitted to be the shooter at your house," she said. "He was working alone and was hoping to use the incident to get Donna's mom to cooperate with him. That means that you'll be free to go home."

"What about my mom?" Donna asked softly.

"We have enough to lock him up for a long time," Judie said gently. "He hasn't admitted to anything else, but we think we can get him to admit to being the one that hurt your mom eventually."

"Thank you," Donna whispered.

"We can go home?" Norah asked. "Just like that?"

"Yes, you can!" Judie said.

"And Donna can go with us?" Norah persisted, all but bouncing in place.

"It's been cleared," Judie said, with a smile.

The two girls squealed as they hugged each other.

"What else?" Rodney asked, cautiously.

"There'll be visits from Child Protective Services, mostly a formality," she admitted. "The District Attorney or someone from his staff will be asking to meet with you. Again, a formality to put everything on the record."

"Should we get a lawyer?" Rodney frowned.

Judie shrugged. "You're the innocent parties in all of this," she said. "You shouldn't need one. On the other hand, if you know a good criminal lawyer, it can't hurt."

"No, but I suspect someone at the college can help me out," Rodney answered. Or maybe his in-laws would know someone, even if they weren't from Buffalo.

"We can go home _today_?" Norah jumped in to ask.

Judie hesitated, glanced at John who was looking a little pale, and said, "How about tomorrow? FIrst thing."

"That'll do! Thanks!" She and Donna went off to their room.

"Rodney, you may want to go out to the house to make sure we've cleaned up everything that needs to be cleaned up," Judie suggested. "We had the broken windows boarded up, but I know we've made a mess in gathering evidence. It'll be easier to go home if some of that is cleaned up first."

"Oh, joy, more cleaning," Rodney moaned.

"I'll help," John offered. He looked at Judie. "If I can go with him, that is." 

"No problem," she agreed. "And I suspect we left a mess that will take the two of you to make a dent in."

John thought for a second. "Is there anything that's evidence that we shouldn't clean up?"

"We already have the bullets and the rifle Doug used," Judie replied. "And he's admitted to doing that shooting. The crime lab folk have had plenty of time to collect what they need from the house. So, go ahead and do whatever you need."

"Hey, can I bring my car back here?" Rodney asked.

"Sure," Judie said. "And that will be easier to let you go home tomorrow. I'll be letting most of my team go now. We'll be down to a single Marshalls hanging around tonight and then see you off in the morning."

Norah, of course, wanted to come and help, but Rodney quietly talked her out of it. 

"I need you to stay with Donna and, well, it's not fair to take her back just yet. You know she'll feel badly enough, without facing the mess that's in the house," Rodney pointed out.

"Oh, all right," she pouted.

"Don't worry, I suspect we'll leave plenty for you to do tomorrow," Rodney pointed out. "And you'll both need to get back to school... Monday would probably be best at this point."

"Okay, I get it," Norah agreed. 

Rodney hugged her, and he and John went out to a car with one of the other Marshalls.

The house was a disaster.

"Good thing we didn't bring the girls," John said, eying the mess. While the windows had been roughly boarded up, there was mud just about everywhere, The holes where the bullets had obviously been embedded were gaping craters where someone had dug them out of the walls.

"This is a good time to be in the construction business," Rodney said. "I can get some help for all of this."

Rodney had called his boss at the architecture firm and the moment the other man understood what was going on, he took over.

"Peter's a good guy," Rodney said, as he hung up the phone. "He's going to find us some help."

Peter must have called everyone he knew. Inside an hour the driveway was full of a variety of trucks from different firms, with incoming vehicles spilling onto the street. A glass place was working on replacing the broken window panes for now, and a construction firm was measuring up the windows to get replacement windows on order. A painting crew took over the inside of the family room and worked on patching the holes in the walls.

A cleaning company showed up, as did a rug cleaning van. They had a friendly discussion out in the driveway, walked through the house together and must have divvied up the work between them. 

Peter showed up in all the chaos and found Rodney directing traffic in the kitchen while trying to find a place to stand as the cleaning people mopped up around him. John was outside, helping the glass guys with ladders and scaffolding.

"Everything going okay?" Peter asked.

"You didn't have to..." Rodney started to protest.

"Nonsense," Peter said. "This is nothing and, well, you can owe me one."

"I'll make sure you get that," Rodney promised.

John organized pizza delivery at one point, making sure everyone got something to eat and drink. Peter took over there, too, catching the delivery boy and paying for everything before anyone else could.

By the time darkness fell, the house was in much better shape than they ever would have thought. There was enough mess from the construction work for Norah and Donna to do to feel useful, but it wasn't the overwhelming mess it was when they first walked in.

Rodney and John sat next to each other on the couch in Rodney's upstairs den. The downstairs smelled more than faintly of paint and cleaning fluids, so it was good to have somewhere to go. Rodney had turned on an exhaust fan in the kitchen, but it wasn't going to help all that much. It would be a couple of days before all the smells went away.

Rodney took John's hand, "Where will you go?"

John shrugged. "Not too far," he said softly. "I have all my VA things set up here now, and that's a pain to move around. Buffalo's got a decent VA center and changing doctors again isn't something I wanted to do. But if I go to a decently large city with a VA hospital, the move will be more of a nuisance than anything."

"Will you go to Norah's grandparents for me?" Rodney asked. "I don't want them here for a while -- until after Christmas, anyway -- and I don't want to plan to take either of the girls too far until I get Donna's custody straightened out. So, if you go to them and tell them what happened, and explain why it's better if they wait, it will be a huge help to me."

"I can do that," John agreed.

"I don't want to go back," Rodney not-quite-whined. "I haven't had you to myself all day and tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow, you can drop me off at my place, and then bring the girls back here to start your new lives," John said firmly.

"You have to keep in touch," Rodney declared. "We're allowed that much."

"It won't be enough," John said softly.

"I'm not going to give you up completely," Rodney said roughly. "I won't let _anything_ stop me from keeping in touch with you."

John leaned in for a kiss. "I don't want to give you up either," he whispered.


	13. Life Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being dropped off in front of his rooming house was the second most awful day in John's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the end of the main story... epilogue will be posted tonight!

Being dropped off in front of his rooming house was the second most awful day in John's life. The day he was injured in Afghanistan was still the worst. But this came close.

Both Norah and Donna sniffled as they hugged him goodbye. The four of them had a long talk the night before. Both Norah and Donna had looked particularly smug when Rodney finally stumbled through an explanation about their fledgling relationship. 

They stood back against the car while Rodney held him close for a moment before letting go.

"You'll call?" Rodney asked.

"Yes," John promised. "Soon as I get a phone." He gave a small grin.

"And keep in touch," Rodney persisted.

"Rodney," John sighed. "Take the girls home. Be their dad. I'll be back."

Rodney reached out a moment, then pulled back. They both knew if they started at all, they'd never stop. 

"You better," Rodney growled. 

John watched as they drove away, Norah and Donna waving out the back window of the car.

First thing the next morning, John gave in to the inevitable and bought a car. Nothing special, with over 100,000 miles on it, but mechanically sound. He needed to be more mobile and in Western New York, only a car would make that possible.

Having a car made it easier to attend the small funeral service for Donna's mother. He hugged Donna and Norah and then sat in the back of the funeral home, letting the words of the service wash over him. He let the other attendees, mostly friends of Donna and Norah from school, monopolize their attention, so he could leave without a fuss.

The Verizon phone store was a mine field. He finally talked the too-chipper young lady down from the multi-feature smart phone and got an inexpensive flip phone. She gave in to his requirements semi-graciously in the end, knowing a sale was a sale.

Now mobile and connected, John decided he should visit Norah's grandparents.

He called Rodney. "Hey!" 

"You called!" 

"Don't sound so surprised," John chided.

"Sorry," Rodney apologized. "I was just worried."

"How are the girls?" John asked. 

"Doing good, actually," Rodney replied. He went off to talk about school, homework, and the science fair -- which went especially well thanks to John's advice. 

"Any problem with custody?" John asked.

"Too early to tell, unfortunately," Rodney said. 

"I was thinking I'd visit Norah's grandparents soon," John said. 

"Let me know when and I'll make the call," Rodney promised.

"Sure," John replied.

There was silence. There was too much to say and none of it came easy to them.

"I... gotta go," John said.

"Call again?" Rodney asked.

"Yeah," John replied.

By the end of the next week, John had visited Rodney's in-laws. They were alternately horrified at John's story of what had happened to them all and doting. John wasn't sure which was worse.

The best thing Rodney's in-laws did was help him find a job. Emily and Walter were outwardly charming, but he could see their impulse to 'help', which John automatically resisted. But Walter gave him a serious lead, as well as a recommendation, to the local community college. It was working maintenance, second shift, but it was a real job, with real benefits.

John went back to Buffalo, packed up his room, and found a room to rent not too far from the college. The landlord was used to renting to college students, and was grateful to rent to an adult rather than a student.

John talked to Rodney regularly. Rodney gave him updates on the custody case with Donna, which was progressing reasonably well. He talked about his classes, a possible commission that he felt like he owed Peter for the help with the house, and fretted over how the girls were doing.

They were all seeing a psychiatrist. Partly to keep the social workers from the Child Services department happy but also, Rodney knew, they needed to work through what had happened to them all. Donna needed help dealing with her mother's death and while Norah loved having Donna with them, there was a thread of jealousy in having to share more of Rodney's time with someone else than she was used to. None of it was earth shattering, just life that needed to be dealt with.

Christmas came and went. John volunteered to work any overtime that came along, to keep busy. One day he got talking to Margaret, the woman who ran the tutoring center and when she realized he had a science background, she handed him the books for the courses she desperately needed tutors for. John took the books, not sure what he wanted to do.

Margaret -- politely -- harassed him until he agreed to do a couple hours a week of tutoring with some of the international students. John was surprised by the number of international students at a community college in the middle of nowhere-New York.

John talked mostly to Rodney but Norah and Donna called occasionally. Sometimes it was a "can you believe what dad did?" sort of call, other times, it was just to talk about what was going on. 

Even without being there, John felt like a part of a family.

One night, Rodney asked, "Umm... can you get away for a few days?"

"Probably," John replied. "As long as I can give some notice. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, see, it's going to be Spring Break here in two weeks and, I was thinking, maybe, we could meet somewhere," Rodney sputtered. "The girls are going to spend the week at Norah's grandparents. So... well, I thought of you. And me. Together."

"You smooth talker," John teased.

"Hey!" Rodney protested.

"For you, sure," John answered. "I have to check the schedule, though. I'll let you know tomorrow?"

"Okay, yeah," Rodney's grin could be heard over the phone.

Since Donna's custody was still in process, Rodney proposed that they go somewhere they could be anonymous. John had replied that nothing would be more anonymous than New York City.

John took the train. It was actually an interesting trip, going across the state to Albany and then southward along the Hudson to Grand Central Station. He took a cab to the hotel that Rodney had booked.

Rodney had come to the city by air that morning and had checked in. They had talked while John was on the train and John went right up to the room.

He tapped on the door and it opened immediately. They looked at each other for a moment and John walked right into Rodney's arms.

"I was afraid you weren't real," Rodney murmured into his ear. "Like you were a figment of my imagination."

"Nah," John said, holding tight. "Very real."

They just stood there for a long time, holding on.

"I want... so much," Rodney said. 

"Anything," John replied. 

Rodney broke his hug, but took hold of John's hand, dragging him to the bedroom. The room wasn't extravagant, but it boasted a small sitting room, outside of the bedroom. 

"I.. umm, don't want to be too forward, but, well, thought maybe we could try some things," Rodney babbled.

John drew him in for a kiss. "Breathe," he said gently. "We have plenty of time."

"Then we need to be naked," Rodney said. "I want to spend as much naked time with you as I can."

John couldn't help it, he laughed at Rodney's eagerness. Not that he wasn't interested, but the honesty of Rodney's emotions was both humbling and reassuring.

To John's amusement, Rodney had what seemed like an entire drug store display of condoms and lube. 

"We can use any of this that you think," Rodney went on while taking off his clothes. "I don't want to risk anything. But I got myself tested, just in case. But you're the first person I've had sex with in, well, a long time. I tested clean. But, well, I got the condoms anyway. I didn't know there were so many types. And different types of lube, too," Rodney went on.

"I really hope you didn't buy these all in one place," John teased. 

Rodney blushed. "No," he said. "I got nervous waiting and so I walked around. There's like a drug store on every other corner around here. So I stopped in them all." He considered. "Well, four or five anyway."

"You're amazing," John snickered. He had taken off his own clothes as Rodney was talking. "And I got tested, too. Although, Uncle Sam does that routinely. So, I'm clean," he admitted.

"Oh, good," Rodney said, climbing into the bed. "Come here!" 

They ended up in the middle of the bed, kissing. But it wasn't long before hands started wandering, holding each other close and wanting to touch.

It didn't take much to bring John over the edge. The anticipation alone had made him eager and ready. Rodney wasn't far behind him.

Rodney leaned over the edge of the bed to grab a towel. "Prepared," he panted. 

They wiped up the worst of the mess, then fell asleep tangled together.

The first time they tried anal sex, they actually had to flip a coin to decide who would do what to whom. In the end, John prepared Rodney, using his fingers as Rodney babbled at him. When John hit Rodney's prostate, they both knew it. Sinking into Rodney the first time, John had to hold his breath to not go off before they even got started.

It took them a couple of tries before they really got the hand of it. But they had fun experimenting.

"We walk funny," John commented as they went out to dinner later. 

"Umm, yeah, you think so?" Rodney asked. 

It hadn't been uncomfortable, and in the end some of it had been very good, but there were muscles -- in many locations -- that had never been used quite this way before.

"A hot shower at some point, maybe," John suggested.

"A hot bath," Rodney countered.

"I suspect that tub's not big enough to hold both of us," John grinned.

The blush was charming. "Umm... I guess not," Rodney replied.

It ended much too soon. Rodney went to the airport to fly home, and John dozed on the train ride back. It had been a _great_ long weekend.

While Rodney's custody of Donna had never been in doubt, there were social workers galore to meet with and please. It just took time. 

It seemed like forever.

When the social worker announced that they were done, there was a celebration. It was at the same time that the new house Rodney had designed was completed. Even with the repairs and the clean up, they all knew what had happened. The family rooms blinds had never been opened since that day.

So, with input from Norah and Donna, Rodney had a new house built. He built it for them all, providing Norah and Donna with their own rooms on one side of the house, and the master suite, office, and a small guest room on the other side. The living spaces were in the middle -- living room, dining room and over size kitchen. There was room for a pool in the back yard, but that would be a summer project.

About two weeks after the notice from Family Court arrived -- one should really give reasonable notice, after all -- John knocked on a bright yellow door. The house was cheery and sophisticated looking without being over bearing.

The door opened to Norah calling, "I got it!" to whomever else was in the kitchen. Her eyes got big and she threw herself into John's arms. 

Without letting go, she called, "Dad! It's for you!"

Rodney came to the door, a bright smile on his face. 

"Welcome home."


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course, it wasn't that easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And.... it's done!
> 
> Many thanks to everyone that's read this fic and left a comment (or several!)... you're the best!

Of course, it wasn't that easy.

After being just _Rodney and Norah_ for so long, having first Donna, and now John in their lives was an awkward transition.

~*~*~*~*~

Rodney had moaned at John on the phone about the new drama in his life. Even before the paperwork to officially become Donna's official guardian was anywhere near complete, there had been shouting and tears and slamming doors. Not just Donna, but Norah, who now had to share her dad with her best friend _all the time_.

"I don't know if I can do this," Rodney complained as they talked on the phone.

John gave a small laugh. "You've been spoiled. I... I had brothers and we were like that, too. But that's why you're all going to therapy. This is what it's for."

"I would think boys would be easier," Rodney sighed.

"Hah! Girls certainly can be vicious, but boys are physical. I had more than one black eye from my brothers," John said.

"Does it get better?" Rodney asked.

"I went to college as soon as I could and never looked back," John said softly, remembering. "I don't know."

"Someday, you'll have to tell me about your family," Rodney said.

John had been silent at that.

The next time, Rodney was laughing while telling John about the prank the girls had pulled off at school.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After John moved in, Rodney was careful to make sure John had his own space. He had designed the new home to have a small guest room that John could use as an 'office' or whatever he had wanted. It had a sofa that could double as a bed, to give John someplace to sleep alone, if he wanted.

John had been struck silent when they showed him. Donna and Norah had decorated the space but had left some things for John to do.

Turning, John gave Rodney and the girls a warm hug.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Don't tell me what to do! You're not my dad!"

Rodney stumbled into the kitchen, to see both John and Norah white-faced and suddenly silent.

"Norah, to your room, please." Rodney forced himself to be calm.

He waited for Norah to leave, then put a hand on John's back. "You okay?"

"I... I don't know," John stuttered. "I wasn't..."

"Shhhh..." Rodney put his arms around John. "I know you weren't. You both need to breathe. Sit for a moment."

John took a deep breath. "I'll be okay, go talk to Norah."

"You sure?" Rodney asked, not letting go.

"I'll just... maybe I will sit for a minute," John said softly.

Rodney got John some juice, and made sure he drank some of it, before he would leave.

Norah was apologetic when he got to her room. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean..."

Rodney opened his arms and she burrowed in, crying.

~*~*~*~*~*~

John's VA therapist recommended a family therapist to him. At dinner, John hesitantly offered that information to the others. 

Rodney grabbed it like a lifeline. "I think that would be good."

~*~*~*~*~*~

John found a job at the local community college, a combination of teaching part-time and working in the Veteran's Outreach office. He found his time tutoring helped him be more confident in the classroom. 

Although he asked Rodney about getting started, and how to manage a classroom.

He liked working with other veterans at the college. He passed on the name of both his therapist and the family therapist more than once. The fact that he could speak so comfortably about being in therapy helped some of the others face that they could benefit from some outside help.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Life settled in gradually. 

One spring day, Donna hesitantly asked Rodney if he would officially adopt her. 

"I know I'm almost eighteen, and theoretically will be an adult, but well, I don't plan on going anywhere, and I'd like to make us legal," she said hopefully.

Rodney grinned. "I have an even better idea!" 

She grinned as he told her about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

At the courthouse, after the adoption ceremony, Rodney took John's hand.

"Umm... how about, while we're here, we get married?" Rodney asked.

John looked stunned.

Norah and Donna chimed in. "We all want to marry you!" they said. "That way we're all family."

John smiled.

"Come on," Rodney tugged John's hand. "We have the everything all set up!"

John tugged Rodney close and kissed him. "Okay, let's do this!"


End file.
